Marlo Drago Therapy
Therapy for Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is an invisible illness that impact more than just our body. It impact our nervous system, our mental health, relationships and belief systems.
Evidence has shown that nervous system regulation and EMDR can help manage pain conditions like migraine, fibromyalgia and other conditions.
Your pain is real. It's not all in your head, but some of it is in your nervous system.
You've seen the specialists. You've done the tests. You've tried the medications, the physio, the stretches, the diets. And the pain is still there. Or maybe you've been told there's nothing physically wrong — and that's somehow made everything harder to carry. Because the pain is real. You feel it every single day.
What most medical approaches miss is this: chronic pain isn't only about tissue or inflammation. It's also about what your nervous system has learned to hold — and what it hasn't yet been able to let go.
That's where therapy comes in.
Marlo Drago Therapy in Ontario
The Connection Between Chronic Pain and the Nervous System
When we experience stress, trauma, or prolonged threat — whether physical, emotional, or both — our nervous system activates a survival response. Fight. Flight. Freeze.
That response is supposed to be temporary. But for many people, it gets stuck.
A nervous system locked in survival mode can amplify pain signals, increase muscle tension, disrupt sleep, suppress immune function, and keep the body in a constant low-grade state of alarm. Over time, pain becomes part of the body's baseline — not because something is permanently broken, but because the system never got the message that it was safe to come down.
Research now shows a strong link between unresolved trauma, emotional stress, and chronic pain conditions. The body remembers what the mind has tried to move past. And until the nervous system feels genuinely safe, that memory stays alive in the body as pain, tension, and exhaustion.
Chronic Pain Conditions I support:
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Fibromyalgia
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Chronic back, neck, or joint pain
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Tension headaches & migraines
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Pain following accident, injury, or surgery
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Pain linked to unresolved trauma or PTSD
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Medically unexplained symptoms
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Pain that worsens with stress or emotional triggers
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Persistent pain after medical treatment has ended
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All of this is welcome in our work together. Therapy for chronic pain isn't just about the physical experience — it's about everything the pain has taken from you, and what it means to slowly reclaim it.
Chronic Pain can also look like:
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Anxiety about the future of your health
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Grief for the life you had before the pain
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Depression, isolation, and withdrawal
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Identity loss — not knowing who you are without the pain
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Frustration at not being believed or understood
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Hypervigilance around your body and symptoms
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Strained relationships and difficulty asking for support
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Exhaustion from having to explain yourself constantly
What You Might Notice Over Time
Healing from chronic pain isn't always linear — and it doesn't always mean pain disappears completely. But with time and support, you may notice:
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Pain that feels less overwhelming and all-consuming
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A nervous system that isn't constantly braced for the next flare
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More ability to rest without anxiety
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Less fear and dread around your symptoms
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A sense of yourself that isn't defined entirely by your pain
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Improved sleep, mood, and emotional regulation
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More connection — to your body, your relationships, your life
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How therapy can help manage symptoms of chronic pain
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​EMDR Therapy for Chronic Pain
EMDR is best known for trauma, but research increasingly supports its use for chronic pain. Because pain is often stored in memory and emotion — not just tissue — EMDR helps the brain reprocess the experiences, fears, and beliefs wrapped around pain so they lose their grip. Many people find that as the emotional charge around pain shifts, the physical experience of pain shifts too.
Somatic Therapy & Body-Based Approaches
Somatic therapy works directly with the body — noticing where tension lives, what sensations arise, and what the body might be trying to communicate. Rather than overriding or ignoring physical signals, we learn to work with them. This approach helps discharge stored stress responses and gently reconnects you with your body as a place of information rather than just a source of suffering.
Polyvagal-Informed Care
Polyvagal Theory helps explain why chronic pain is so often linked to nervous system dysregulation. Using this framework, we work to help your system move out of chronic survival states — building the safety signals your nervous system needs to downshift, rest, and begin to heal.
Mindfulness & Breathwork
Mindfulness and breathwork are powerful tools for shifting your relationship with pain — not bypassing it, but learning to be with it differently. Over time this can reduce the suffering layered on top of pain and create more space between sensation and response.
Why Work with Marlo Drago
About Me
Marlo Drago
Founder and Therapist
​I'm Marlo Drago, a Registered Social Worker (RSW) and trauma-informed therapist based in Toronto, Ontario, offering individual therapy for adults navigating Chronic Pain. My approach draws on evidence-based modalities including EMDR therapy, somatic therapy, Polyvagal Theory, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and bottom-up trauma treatment — combined with something I believe is just as important: genuine human connection.
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But beyond the credentials and clinical approaches, I bring something personal. I was diagnosed with Chronic Migraine, Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain Disorder in 2019. I took a 2.5 year medical leave. I did EMDR therapy. I've walked through my own healing journey, and I know what it feels like to sit where you're sitting.
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I understand that living with chronic pain is one of the most isolating, exhausting, and misunderstood experiences a person can go through. You've probably spent years being dismissed, minimized, or handed a coping strategy that only scratches the surface.
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Here, your pain is taken seriously. We work at a pace your nervous system can handle, no pushing through, no performing wellness. Just honest, grounded work toward something that actually feels different.
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Because how therapy feels matters just as much as what we do in it and you deserve both.​
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We go at your pace. We pull back when things feel like too much, and move forward when your nervous system has the capacity to do so. You are always in the driver's seat.​
Frequently Asked Questions
I've already tried everything. How is this different?
Most chronic pain treatment focuses on the body in isolation. This work addresses the nervous system, the emotional experience, and the trauma that often underlies persistent pain. For many people, this is the layer that nothing else has reached.
Do I need a diagnosis to work with you?
No. Whether you have a formal diagnosis or have been told nothing is physically wrong, what matters is that you're living with real pain and you want support navigating it.
Is this going to ask me to believe my pain isn't real?
Absolutely not. Your pain is real and I am not going to tell you to meditate it or will it away. The goal of this work is never to dismiss or minimize it — it's to understand what your nervous system is holding and help it find a new way forward.
Can therapy actually reduce physical pain?
For many people, yes. Research supports EMDR and somatic approaches for chronic pain, particularly when pain has roots in trauma, stress, or nervous system dysregulation. Results vary, but shifts in the emotional experience of pain often create real changes in how pain is felt and lived.What if my pain flares during a session? We go at your pace, always. Sessions are designed to keep you within a window of tolerance — we never push harder than your system can handle. You are always in control of what we explore and how far we go.
How to start Chronic Pain Therapy with Marlo Drago Therapy
I know the first step is usually the hardest and you are probably buzzing with questions. Head over to FAQ, if the answer is not there send me an e-mail and I would be happy to help! Ready to book an initial call or intake session? Fill out the form below.
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