My name is Lihi Geva-Lisser and I am a woman, a spouse and mother of 4, surfer, dedicated consumer of useless Netflix shows, and below-average cook.
By training, I am a clinical social worker (M.S.W.) and psychotherapist with around 16 years of experience in treating adults with a specialization in treating trauma.
One of my areas of expertise is treating chronic pain (also known as neuroplastic pain or MBS, Mind-Body Syndrome).
This is a type of pain that appears in various forms within the body and it’s entirely real, but is not caused by physical damage (as opposed to pain caused by an illness, injury, infection, or tumor).
In the case of MBS, the pain could be caused by negative emotions, stress, fear, and the entrenchment of neural circuits within the brain.
I’m a graduate of the BA and MSW social work programs at Tel Aviv University (summa cumme laude) and the psychotherapy program at Halfaba (Center for Psychoanalytically Oriented Psychotherapy Studies).
I also completed training courses for treating chronic MBS pain using the PRT (Pain Reprocessing Therapy) and EAET (Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy) methods with Dr. Schubiner and Dr. Lumley.
I am a certified IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapist as well.
Over the course of a decade, I provided psychotherapy for adults at Ichilov Hospital’s mental health clinic and the Lotem Center for treating physical and sexual trauma.
For me, psychotherapy for chronic pain is not just another clinical specialization, but a true mission.
I found my way into this field because of my own experience with chronic pelvic pain.
For years, I visited a long line of specialists, doctors, physical therapists, and alternative therapists.
I received evaluations and dozens of treatments that didn’t help.
As time went on, the pain got worse, and its negative impact on my life only expanded.
I moved through life from a place of fear, desperation, and worry.
So many resources were invested in the effort to fight and “fix” the pain, to no avail.
At one point, I understood that what I was doing was not helping, but I had no idea how to get out of this mess or who to turn to.
The turning point was when I encountered Dr. John Sarno’s book, Healing Back Pain. Within the first few pages, I started to recognize myself and my pain story. My curiosity grew, and with it, the hope that change was possible for me, too. The moment I internalized the idea that physical pain can result from stress, fear, and negative emotions/trauma, I dove deep into researching this topic.
I read, I watched lectures, and I took courses for treating MBS, and as I did so, I practiced what I was learning on myself.
The change was not immediate, but it happened gradually, with ups and downs, and I eventually reached full recovery. That’s how my personal “miracle” happened: not only did it bring a revolutionary change in my personal life, it also filled me with motivation to apply my knowledge and personal experience to help others to heal.
Watch an interview with me (in Hebrew).
As of today, research has proven that it’s possible to heal neuroplastic pain/MBS with psychological intervention. It’s now an incontrovertible fact! In my clinical work, I combine my knowledge as a psychotherapist with the latest research on the pain mechanism and my own experience of recovery.
The treatment program itself is a unique type of psychotherapy that is tailored specifically to each person.
I incorporate 3 elements into the therapy:
Yes. You read that right.
A change in perception and psychotherapeutic work are the keys to healing from chronic pain!
It may sound like science fiction, and it’s undoubtedly a very different approach to treating pain than the conventional medical model that focuses on treating the organ in pain.I’m not just another expert who’s trying to “fix what’s broken.”
I’m here to guide you and equip you with understanding, knowledge, and tools that will enable you to forge your own path out of the pain cycle. It’s a sort of journey that invites you to take an active part in your recovery. There’s no way to know exactly how long it will take, and the process usually involves a lot of questions, doubts, and ups and downs. Still, the fact that an effective, evidence-based psychological treatment with no side effects exists — that’s the most important thing to know.
When I found my way out of my own personal cycle of chronic pain, I promised myself that I’d do everything I could to spread the word.
The truth is, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops with a giant megaphone so everyone would know:
there is such a thing as chronic pain that doesn’t come from an injury or physical ailment.
You can learn not only to cope with it, but to heal it completely!
All you need to do is agree to learn and open your mind to an approach that’s a bit different from the classic medical model we were raised with. For months (almost a year) I gathered the materials that helped me and the knowledge I needed so much during the period when I felt helpless and didn’t know what to do.
I’ve added as many resources as possible to the website in hopes of presenting the wealth of materials and tools that exist today to treat MBS. Beyond the theoretical content, you’ll also find referrals to additional resources (books, videos, websites, podcasts). The way out of the pain cycle begins with the new understanding of its source, and continues with changing the psychological factors that contribute to its appearance and perpetuation.
There is no single way out, as you will see; there are a variety of different paths.
My hope is that this website will inspire curiosity and serve as a gateway for those who have exhausted the search for a medical reason for their pain and are searching for their own path.
I deeply believe that knowledge and awareness can change your life. If I succeed in reaching even one person who needs this knowledge and helping that person change course — I’ve achieved my goal.
