Who We Are

Paulina Soble is the Co-Founder and operations lead of the Pain Reprocessing Therapy Center. Paulina has presented at various chronic pain conferences, aiming to build a comprehensive network of certified practitioners to treat the millions who suffer from chronic pain. In addition to her clinical work with clients, Paulina spearheads the development of new initiatives, professional trainings, and educational resources to expand the reach of pain reprocessing therapy and improve access to mental health and healthcare professionals as well as patients.

Daniella Deutsch is the Co-Founder, content developer, and lead trainer at the Pain Reprocessing Therapy Center, training and certifying thousands of mental health clinicians and practitioners across various health disciplines. Daniella has presented on the topic of pain treatment at conferences and trainings internationally and is currently involved in a PRT clinical trial and ongoing pain research. She is a psychotherapist treating chronic pain using evidence-based practices to reduce pain and improve mind and body wellness.

Yoni Ashar is an assistant professor and director of the Pain and Emotion Research Lab at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He completed his doctorate in clinical psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder and an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Weill Cornell Medicine. Yoni’s research uses functional MRI brain imaging, natural language processing, and other clinical and computational tools to understand how mind and brain processes influence health, especially chronic pain. A main research focus is investigating a new class of psychological and neuroscience-based treatments aiming for recovery from chronic pain. His research has been featured on NBC’s Today Show, Washington Post, WSJ, and other media outlets.

Charlie Merrill is a physiotherapist, educator, content creator, consultant for emerging health technology companies, footwear designer, inventor, and athlete. Charlie is working to change the paradigm around how people understand and address pain and other physical symptoms. He co-developed the Beyond Pain Education course with Dr. Howard Schubiner, MD. His mission is to provide clients with creative, personalized, and effective solutions to the physical limitations preventing them from performing at their best in athletics and in life. You can learn more about Charlie’s work at www.Mperformance.com.

Dr. Brad Fanestil is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and has practiced as both a primary care internist and a hospitalist in Colorado for most of his career. For several years, he was the
Director of Inpatient Care at Avista Hospital in Louisville, working exclusively in hospitals and ICUs. In 2017, he began researching and learning about new theories in neuroscience, largely
supported by functional MRI (fMRI) data, that are beginning to explain the emotional connections between mind and body. When he started bringing these new ideas to his primary care patients, many of his most complicated and frustrated patients started getting better. He now runs the Boulder Institute for Mind Body Medicine, where he teaches patients and clinicians how to use these tools to rewire the neural circuitry of anxiety and chronic pain.

Dr. Howard Schubiner is board-certified in pediatrics and internal medicine and is the director of the Mind Body Medicine Center at Providence Hospital in Southfield, MI. He is a Clinical Professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine and has authored over 60 publications in scientific journals and books. Dr. Schubiner has collaborated extensively with Mark Lumley, PhD, to develop Emotion Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), which has been tested in various formats for people with different chronic pain conditions and found to be not only effective compared to treatment as usual but superior to CBT in two trials. EAET is now listed as a treatment option in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pain Management Best Practices Inter-agency Task Force Report. Dr. Schubiner is part of the team that conducted the Boulder back pain study, demonstrating that people with chronic back pain treated with Pain Reprocessing Therapy can fully recover.

Daniel Lyman is a psychotherapist and Executive Director of the Portland, OR-based Mind Body Therapy Center. He specializes in the treatment of chronic pain, anxiety, OCD, and sexuality. He earned both a master’s degree in Social Work and Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He has been working in healthcare for over a decade, and has worked with thousands of clients to overcome pain on 6 continents (still waiting on Antarctica). Beyond his work in the mental and medical health field, Daniel is a playwright, runner, and dog-lover.

John Gasienica brings personal understanding and empathy alongside contemporary methodology to clients experiencing pain, anxiety, and depression. Using a light-hearted demeanor, John uniquely caters Pain Reprocessing Therapy with a cognitive behavioral and mindfulness-based approach to each individual client. John received his master’s degree from the University of Southern California and leads the Business Development and Outreach Program at the Pain Psychology Center.

Gabrielle Jacobs is a psychotherapist based in Portland, OR. She uses evidence-based cognitive and somatic therapies to help patients experiencing chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and stress. Gabrielle creates a warm, empathetic environment in which clients are able to grow and change to achieve their goals. Gabrielle received a master’s degree in Social Work, with an emphasis on Adult Mental Health and Wellness, from the University of Southern California, and earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Yale University. She has previous experience treating substance-use disorders. Outside of work, Gabrielle enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, and cooking.

Isabella Amatuzzo is a pain reprocessing coach and physical therapist. After years of working in traditional settings and personally experiencing chronic pain, she recognized the need for evidence-based solutions beyond conventional treatment. Her journey led her to the transformative field of pain neuroscience, where she discovered a deeper understanding of the complexities of chronic conditions. Isabella helps clients navigate the full spectrum of neuroplastic symptoms, offering a compassionate space to explore the factors that shape their pain experience. Trained in both Pain Reprocessing Therapy and Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy, she integrates a wide range of tools to empower clients with the skills and insights needed for recovery.

Ken Lee is a psychotherapist who earned his Master’s in Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from the University of Arizona. He began his career in community public health, where he witnessed the challenges of treating mental health disorders when chronic pain was also present. Having lived with chronic pain himself since the age of 17, discovering Pain Reprocessing Therapy was life-changing, curing his own pain and transforming his approach to therapy. Ken now integrates PRT to address the mind-body connection in his work with grief, trauma, depression, anxiety, and couples therapy. He values creating a safe and compassionate space where clients feel deeply seen and supported. His approach weaves evidence-based modalities with a strong therapeutic connection, guiding clients toward lasting change in both their bodies and their lives.

Mike Averill is a psychotherapist specializing in Pain Reprocessing Therapy. Mike incorporates knowledge from meditation and breathwork traditions into his general approach to therapy. He emphasizes the natural tendency of the nervous system to seek out wellness by prioritizing the development of a relative sense of safety. He also weaves in tools to build self-compassion, resilience, and less rigid ways of thinking and being. Mike received his master’s degree from the University of Southern California, is certified in yoga and breathwork, and is in training for Somatic Experiencing.

Alan Gordon is the Executive Director of the Pain Psychology Center in Los Angeles. Gordon recently completed a groundbreaking neuroimaging study on the efficacy of Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) in conjunction with the University of Colorado-Boulder. He was featured on CBS’s The Doctors, where he conducted the first fMRI case study of a patient eliminating chronic pain. He is an adjunct assistant professor at USC and has presented on the topic of pain treatment at conferences and trainings throughout the country.