I was honored to participate in the recent National Academies’ “Exploring the Treatment and Management of Chronic Pain and Implications for Disability Determinations: A Workshop.” I was privileged to serve as the person with lived experience (PWLE) on the panel titled “Complementary and Alternative Therapies in Comprehensive Chronic Pain Management,” alongside Dr. Peter Wayne (Harvard Medical School), Dr. Richard Harris (University of California, Irvine), and Dr. Anna Woodbury (Emory University). It was a powerful opportunity to share what it means to live with chronic pain and how non-traditional therapies—often overlooked by systems like the SSA—have helped me and many others live better lives.
On April 18, 2025, I shared this journey with the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, hoping to open their eyes to what comprehensive, patient-centered pain care can—and should—look like.
What follows is based on what I shared during that presentation—my journey with chronic pain, the therapies that have helped me, and the gaps that still exist in how systems like SSA recognize and support people like me.
For nearly four decades, I’ve lived with chronic pain. It began with cancer treatment and became a lifelong companion—one I didn’t choose and can’t escape. I’ve had surgeries that failed, spent years on powerful opioids like fentanyl, and fought tooth and nail to reclaim clarity, functionality, and meaning in my life. What helped me most wasn’t just medicine—it was peer support, a wide range of complementary and integrative therapies, and a refusal to give up.
🔹 The CIPM Toolbox: A Comprehensive Framework for Pain Care
One of the most helpful frameworks I’ve found is the Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management (CIPM) Toolbox, developed by the Alliance to Advance Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management (AACIPM). This visual model organizes treatment options around five essential domains of whole-person care:
- Physical therapies: Encompassing interventions like physical therapy, exercise, and movement-based therapies.
- Psychological support: Including cognitive-behavioral therapy, counseling, and other mental health services.
- Spiritual wellness: Addressing the need for meaning, purpose, and connection, which can influence pain perception.
- Social connection: Recognizing the role of relationships and community support in managing chronic pain.
- Lifestyle and self-care practices: Covering nutrition, sleep, stress management, and other daily habits that impact well-being.
It shows that pain management isn’t about just one intervention—it’s about layering and integrating strategies that support a person’s full experience of living with pain. The CIPM Toolbox aligns closely with the HHS Pain Management Best Practices Task Force Report and reflects both clinical evidence and lived experience.
Many providers, policymakers, and even patients have never seen this framework. It’s not taught in medical school. It’s not often shared in SSA disability determinations. And yet it reflects exactly what we need in practice: flexible, multimodal, evidence-informed options.
🔹 “If It Might Help, I Tried It”
Over time, I’ve built what I call my personal toolbox—a collection of therapies I’ve tried, adopted, and adapted. This includes practices like journaling, mindfulness, virtual reality, CBT, peer support, tai chi, biofeedback, aqua therapy, and many others.
Some of them worked right away. Some didn’t work at all. Some stopped working over time. But many surprised me—especially those that weren’t high-tech or expensive. What they had in common was helping me feel more grounded, more capable, and less consumed by pain.
This wasn’t just trial and error. These therapies are supported by clinical research. Yet, too often, what helps people isn’t covered by insurance—or even acknowledged by systems like SSA.
🔹 The Disconnect: What SSA Often Misses
This is the heart of the problem. While some treatments like epidurals or prescription medications may be recognized and reimbursed, other effective approaches—like peer support, spiritual counseling, or tai chi—are frequently left out of disability assessments.
Even when these approaches help someone stay functional and avoid more invasive options, they may not “count” unless documented in clinical records or prescribed by a physician. This disconnect penalizes people for using low-cost, noninvasive tools that genuinely help them.
SSA needs better frameworks—like the CIPM Toolbox—and policies that honor the full range of ways people live with and manage chronic pain.
🔹 A National Model That Works: The VA’s Whole Health System
If you’re looking for a national system already doing this well, look at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Their Whole Health model integrates evidence-based, complementary therapies into everyday care:
- Acupuncture
- Yoga and tai chi
- Massage
- Biofeedback
- Peer support
- Spiritual wellness
- Personalized health planning
This isn’t fringe medicine—it’s veteran-led, research-backed, and system-wide. The VA recognizes that healing means more than prescribing. It means empowering.
If the VA can do this successfully, SSA can too.
🔹 What I Hope Policymakers Will Remember
If you take just one thing from this article, let it be this:
- Chronic pain is real—even when it’s invisible.
- Pain is deeply personal—what works for one may not work for another.
- Non-opioid, multimodal therapies are not luxuries—they are lifelines.
- SSA must evolve to reflect science, lived experience, and whole-person care.
- Validation and flexibility are just as important as diagnosis codes.
🙏 With Gratitude
Thank you to the SSA, the National Academies, and the workshop planning committee for making space for lived experience. Thank you to the U.S. Pain Foundation, the American Chronic Pain Association, and the World Patients Alliance for their continued support.
And thank you, always, to my wife Marianne. Your love and partnership make everything possible.
📚 Further Reading & Resources
- Alliance to Advance Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management (AACIPM)
A collaborative advancing whole-person, multimodal pain care for all.
🔗 https://painmanagementalliance.org - VA Whole Health Model
A holistic care approach that prioritizes what matters most to the individual.
🔗 https://www.va.gov/wholehealth- Circle of Health: https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTH/circle-of-health/index.asp
- Personal Health Inventory: https://www.va.gov/wholehealth/phi.asp
- Well-Being Programs: https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTH/veteran-resources/Well-Being-Programs.asp
- U.S. Pain Foundation
A nonprofit empowering people with pain through support, education, and advocacy. Offers the INvisible Project, Pain Connection support groups, and more.
🔗 https://uspainfoundation.org - American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA)
Provides peer support and education in pain management. Offers online tools, videos, and the ACPA mobile app.
🔗 https://www.theacpa.org
This article was developed with support from ChatGPT.