CHRONIC PAIN CENTRE - Key Persons
Michael C. Irving, Ph.D. trains clinicians from a wide variety of modalities to work with their Chronic Pain clients through the use of mind-body tools and resiliency skills. These are practical and easy to learn tools for managing and eradicating the suffering of Chronic Pain. He offers advanced and leading-edge information and guidance through coaching, trainings, seminars, publications, CDs and internet educational materials can help you in your work with your clients to address the diverse concerns of Chronic Pain. Irving teaches the skills that help direct the chronic pain sufferer to be in charge of their body's wellbeing and mind-set. As a clinician, you can learn core forces embedding and perpetuating Chronic Pain, so your client can live a life with freedom and vitality.
Michael Irving, Ph.D. knows what it is like to be in the shoes of a Chronic Pain sufferer. There was a time he suffered chronic pain and used a cane, crutches, an arm sling or neck or wrist braces. He struggled through decades of persistent pain and its limitations. A personal history of PTSD added complications to chronic physical pain.
Like many Chronic Pain suffers, pain's ugly face migrated about his body, at various times residing in one area, then showing up in another - low back, upper back, neck, shoulders, hips, knees, bursitis tendonitis, painfully sore feet, migraines. He had it all.
Over the years chiropractic, physiotherapy, medication, cortisone shots, acupuncture, heat and ice brought him some relief. Though he shares, "Suggestions of eventual disk surgery were met with great apprehension due to conflicting reports on their viability".
Irving appreciates that drugs, surgery, physical interventions are valuable and have a place and time, particularly with injury related acute pain. BUT, they are poor authors of new stories that are needed to replace the core and negative thoughts beliefs and attitudes that create, embed and perpetuate long-term Chronic Pain.
In his own healing process and in helping others in the recovery journey Irving has arrived at the firm conviction ONLY YOUR CLIENT can identify their chronic pain related stories and rewrite them. Yet, if it were easy, they would have done so by now. Irving has found that scientifically informed Mind Based Pain Repatterning Protocols (MBPR) can provide the Chronic Pain Sufferer with the tools to rewrite the core stories that can reduce and eradicate chronic pain.
To celebrate his turning 65 years young Michel Irving ran five 42.2 km marathon runs in 12 weeks. Irving states, "With absolute certainty my body was not always this fit, free or vibrant. I speak of my Marathon achievements not to impress you; but to impress upon you that freedom in a vibrant body is achievable for you".
Michael Irving, Ph.D. has worked in business, in education, as a coach, psychotherapist and as a sculptor. He has won awards in business, art, community peace building and for his work with children. He is in private practice coaching and training with Chronic Pain
Irving has worked as a psychotherapist with individuals, couples and groups from youth to seniors for more than 32 years. He has experience with core beliefs and attitudes, Chronic Pain, head injury survivors, single incident and long-term trauma, PTSD, counseling on life skills, anger management, couples and relationships and career issues. He has coached and led workshops on marathon running, success in business, heart health, wellbeing and coping strategies, MBPR (Mind Based Pain Repatterning) mindfulness and meditation, visualization and relaxation, mind-body integration, self-hypnosis, EFT, EMDR and art in therapy. From 2010 to April 2017 Michael Irving, Ph.D. worked at Wings Neuro Rehab and Valentin and Blackstock Psychology, providing psychological assessments, supervision and treatment.
Michael Irving has exhibited and sold sculpture in a wide variety of mediums for more than 40 years. His stone and bronze sculptures are in private and corporate collections and have been exhibited internationally. He has received art project grants from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars from individuals, foundations, government agencies and major corporations. He has won awards in art, community peace building and his work in protecting children. He has published and lectured on art, myth and psychology, been featured in newspapers and magazines and has appeared on radio and television. He is a Board Member of the Toronto Native Child and Family Services.