Neuroplastic Pain Practitioners: Credentials & How to Choose

Last updated August 23, 2026 · 10 min read

By Tauri Urbanik, research writer and PainApp founder

How this directory is organized

This page includes people with substantial published, clinical, educational, or historical relevance to the field. Inclusion is editorial, unpaid, and not a recommendation to purchase care. Roles and credentials are stated because “practitioner,” “expert,” “coach,” and “researcher” are not interchangeable.

Information was last checked on August 23, 2026. Availability, licensure, fees, and programs can change; verify them directly before relying on this page.

The people listed do not all agree. Some emphasize emotional processing, others fear reduction, rehabilitation, education, or lived experience. Their inclusion does not establish that one mechanism explains every chronic pain condition.

Here's who they are, what they offer, and how to access their work.

The foundational figures

Dr. John Sarno (1923-2017)

Sarno was the pioneer. A professor of rehabilitation medicine at NYU's Rusk Institute for 47 years, he treated over 10,000 patients and published four books that have sold over a million copies. He coined the term Tension Myositis Syndrome and was the first physician to systematically argue that some chronic back pain is brain-generated rather than structural.

Sarno reported high recovery rates from his clinic, but these were not randomized trials and should not be interpreted as modern efficacy estimates. His books, especially Healing Back Pain and The Mindbody Prescription, remain historically influential.

Clinical researchers

Alan Gordon, LCSW

Gordon developed Pain Reprocessing Therapy and was a coauthor on the Boulder Back Pain Study. In that trial, 33 of 50 selected participants assigned to therapist-led PRT for primary chronic back pain were pain-free or nearly pain-free after treatment (Ashar et al., JAMA Psychiatry, 2022↗).

Gordon is an LCSW and founder of the Pain Psychology Center in Los Angeles. He wrote The Way Out and helped develop the PRT protocol. The trial supports that protocol in its selected population; it does not validate every claim in Sarno's framework.

Dr. Howard Schubiner

Schubiner is a physician and clinical researcher associated with Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) and the F.I.T. pattern framework. In a fibromyalgia trial, EAET did not differ from CBT on the primary or most secondary outcomes, but it had advantages on some pain outcomes, including 50% pain reduction in 22.5% versus 8.3% (Lumley et al., PAIN, 2017↗).

His book Unlearn Your Pain offers a structured 28-day workbook, and his free Coursera course "Reign of Pain" makes his approach accessible to everyone. He consults through Cormendi Health.

Lived-experience advocates

Dan Buglio

Buglio's defining quality is consistency. He has posted a daily video on his Pain Free You YouTube channel since March 2019. Over 2,000 videos. Over 50,000 subscribers. He recovered from 13 years of chronic back pain and sciatica and has coached over 2,000 individuals.

His approach uses what he calls Perceived Danger Pain (PDP). He emphasizes gaining knowledge, accepting the neuroplastic diagnosis, shifting from fear to safety, practicing indifference toward pain, and re-engaging with life. His coaching costs $100/month and includes 12 hours of live weekly Zoom sessions. His book Pain Free You was published in 2024. For anyone who can't afford coaching, his YouTube channel is one of the largest free resources in the field.

Nicole Sachs, LCSW

Sachs worked directly with Dr. Sarno at NYU Rusk and developed her own method called JournalSpeak. She overcame a chronic spinal condition at age 19 using Sarno's approach. Her podcast "The Cure for Chronic Pain" has over 624 episodes and 5.5 million downloads, making it the largest podcast in this space.

JournalSpeak is a structured emotional processing practice: 20 minutes of uncensored writing, 10 minutes of meditation, then destroy what you wrote. Her approach is distinctly focused on emotional excavation. She offers tiered pricing from $2.99/month (Support Circle) to $99/month (Heal with Nicole), plus courses ranging from $149 to $299. Her latest book, Mind Your Body, was published in 2025.

Steve Ozanich

Ozanich suffered for 30 years before recovering. His book The Great Pain Deception remains the most thorough patient-perspective exploration of TMS, diving deep into the TMS personality, the symptom imperative, and the psychology of chronic pain. Sarno wrote the foreword, praising Ozanich for humanizing his work.

Medical converts

Dr. David Hanscom

Hanscom performed complex spine surgery for 32 years at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. His own experience with chronic pain and burnout led him to question the structural model. He developed the DOCC (Direct your Own Care) protocol and eventually stopped performing elective spine surgery entirely after concluding that some chronic back pain patients didn't need operations.

His book Back in Control (2012) carries unique authority: a spine surgeon saying that surgery is usually the wrong answer for chronic back pain. His documented finding that spinal fusion outcomes are often no better than placebo gives his perspective on failed back surgery exceptional credibility.

How to access their work

How to verify a provider

Before booking, verify the person's active license with the regulator for the jurisdiction where you will receive care. Ask whether they can legally provide telehealth where you are located, what pain-specific training they completed, which conditions they treat, how they coordinate with medical care, how outcomes are measured, and what happens if the approach is not helping. Be cautious when a provider guarantees recovery, tells you to ignore new symptoms, or treats a course or coaching credential as equivalent to a healthcare license.

Finding the right fit

These approaches share an interest in nervous-system and psychological contributors to pain, but the right care depends on diagnosis, safety, credentials, accessibility, and personal preference.

If you need clinical evidence first: Start with Alan Gordon's work. The Boulder study gives you peer-reviewed proof. His podcast makes PRT accessible.

If you want structured daily exercises: Howard Schubiner's 28-day program in Unlearn Your Pain or his free Coursera course gives you something to do every day.

If you want free daily support: Dan Buglio's YouTube channel is unmatched for volume and consistency. A new video every day for six years straight.

If emotional processing resonates: Nicole Sachs' JournalSpeak method and podcast go deep into the emotional drivers of pain.

If you're a surgery veteran or considering surgery: David Hanscom's perspective as a spine surgeon who stopped operating carries unique credibility.

If you want an app-based educational tool: PainApp is commercially related to this site and offers education, tracking, and guided practice. It is not a clinician, cannot diagnose pain, and has not been shown to reproduce therapist-led trial outcomes.

The field keeps growing

What started with one physician's clinical observation at NYU has grown into a global movement. New practitioners are emerging. More research is being published. Techniques are being refined. The 2022 Boulder study was a watershed moment, but it's not the finish line. Clinical trials are underway for neuroplastic approaches to fibromyalgia, IBS, migraines, and pelvic pain conditions.

The practitioners listed here built this field. Their books, programs, podcasts, and research created the foundation that thousands of people have used to recover from chronic pain. Whether you access their work through free YouTube videos, podcast episodes, structured programs, or app-based tools, the science is the same. Your brain learned this pain pattern. And it can unlearn it.

Frequently asked questions

Who are the leading neuroplastic pain practitioners?

People commonly associated with this field include John Sarno, Alan Gordon, Howard Schubiner, Dan Buglio, Nicole Sachs, and David Hanscom. They do not all have the same credentials or role: some are licensed clinicians or researchers, while others are educators or coaches.

How do I find a TMS doctor near me?

Start with a licensed clinician whose license permits care where you are physically located. Verify the license with the relevant regulator, ask about pain-specific training, and confirm telehealth eligibility, fees, insurance, and scope before booking. Directory inclusion is not an endorsement.

Do I need a TMS practitioner or can I recover on my own?

Self-guided education may be useful, but professional assessment is important when symptoms are new, worsening, unexplained, complex, or trauma-related. Coaching and apps are not substitutes for licensed medical or mental-health care.

How much do neuroplastic pain practitioners charge?

Costs and availability change frequently. Ask each provider for the current fee, cancellation policy, expected number of sessions, insurance or reimbursement options, and whether lower-cost or group care is available.

References

1. Ashar YK, et al. Effect of Pain Reprocessing Therapy vs Placebo and Usual Care for Patients With Chronic Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2022;79(1):13-23.DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.2669
2. Lumley MA, et al. Emotional awareness and expression therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and education for fibromyalgia: a cluster-randomized controlled trial. PAIN. 2017;158(12):2354-2363.DOI: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001036
3. Brinjikji W, et al. Systematic Literature Review of Imaging Features of Spinal Degeneration in Asymptomatic Populations. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2015;36(4):811-816.DOI: 10.3174/ajnr.A4173