The connection between chronic pain and trauma
The relationship between chronic pain and trauma is well-documented and consistently underaddressed. Studies show that people with a history of trauma, including adverse childhood experiences, PTSD, and prolonged stress, are significantly more likely to develop chronic pain conditions.
This is not because trauma causes people to imagine their symptoms. It is because trauma changes the nervous system. Chronic threat keeps the body in a state of hyperarousal. The alarm system stays on. And when the alarm system stays on long enough, the body starts to hurt.
Pain is not a simple damage signal. It is a protective response produced by the brain, heavily influenced by the brain's assessment of threat. When the nervous system has been conditioned to expect danger, the threshold for pain goes down. This is the body doing exactly what it evolved to do. The problem is that past experience is not always a reliable guide to present reality.
The eldest child, the caretaker, the one who kept going
A significant number of people who carry chronic pain also carry a history of being the responsible one. The eldest child who became the family manager. The person who learned early that their job was to hold things together. The one who stayed alert because things at home were unpredictable.
These are not personality defects. They are adaptations, genuinely intelligent ones at the time. The problem is that they tend to run the body into the ground across decades, and the body eventually makes itself heard.
I take that history seriously. Not as a diagnosis, but as context. Because chronic pain that is connected to a lifetime of over-functioning requires a different kind of attention than pain that can be managed with the right treatment protocol.
I take that history seriously. Not as a diagnosis, but as context. Because chronic pain that is connected to a lifetime of over-functioning requires a different kind of attention than pain that can be managed with the right treatment protocol.
Katherine (Kate) DellaFera, LCSW
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ADDRESS
402 S. Marengo Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
PHONE NUMBER
(323) 524-8354
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Therapy for chronic pain and trauma in Los Angeles
Your body has been trying to tell you something for a while. Maybe for years. And you have been managing it, treating it, working around it.
This is different work. This is about listening to it.
ABOUT ME
I received my Masters in Social Work from University of Southern California, and my Bachelor’s Degree in Individualized Study from New York University. I have a diverse background that informs my psychotherapy work, from my first career in the music industry, to a lifelong yoga practice. As a social worker, I am trained to consider all aspects of your experience, from your environment
My experience in social work and psychotherapy began on Skid Row where I worked with the unhoused community and began my training in trauma work. I then went on to continue my practice at Pasadena Trauma Therapy where I was extensively trained in working with CPTSD and dissociation. As a queer therapist, I deeply enjoy working with fellow queer individuals that have trauma backgrounds. I have supported folks through anxiety, depression, PTSD/CPTSD, life changes, attachment issues, boundary struggles, nervous system dysregulation, relationship and intimacy issues, and more.
I am a native New Yorker who is now happy to call Los Angeles home. In my spare time, I enjoy practicing yoga, cooking, and exploring the beautiful nature that California has to offer. I feel honored to do this work and witness my clients in moments of vulnerability and transformation. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you are curious about how we might work together.
ABOUT ME
WHAT SOMATIC THERAPY OFFERS
Somatic therapy works directly with the body's experience, rather than treating it as separate from the psychological. In the context of chronic pain and trauma, this matters because the patterns that contribute to pain, the bracing, the holding, the chronic tension, live in the body and not just in thought.
In practice, this might mean learning to notice and tolerate body sensations without immediately trying to fix or escape them. It might mean using EMDR or Brainspotting to work with the underlying trauma that is keeping the nervous system stuck in a threat state. It might mean slowly, carefully, building enough safety in the body that it no longer needs to stay on guard.
I work alongside medical treatment, not instead of it. My role is to address what the medical system often cannot reach.
How I Work
I am Kate DellaFera, a licensed clinical social worker in Pasadena. I trained in trauma therapy on Skid Row before specializing in complex PTSD and dissociation. A significant part of my practice involves people whose chronic pain or illness has a trauma component that has never been directly addressed.
My approach is somatic and trauma-informed. I use EMDR, Brainspotting, Pain Reprocessing Therapy, and parts work, at the pace your nervous system can actually tolerate. This is not fast therapy. But for many people, it is the work that finally makes a difference.
I see clients in person in Pasadena and online throughout California. I offer a free 15-minute consultation for anyone who wants to talk through whether this approach might be right for them.
EDUCATION
University of Southern California, MSW, Social Work
New York University, BA, Individualized Study (Music & Culture)
TRAINING
Trauma Resiliency Model Levels (TRM) - Trauma Resource Institute
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - The Institute of Creative Mindfulness
Brainspotting (Phase 1) - Pacific Brainspotting
300 Hour Yoga Teacher & Meditation Training - Yogala Studios, Los Angeles