Dr. Anahita Kalianivala

I’m Dr. Anahita Kalianivala, PhD — a licensed psychologist and mind-body integration specialist who works with chronic pain and nervous system stress. I’m also personally acquainted with perfectionism and overthinking, which keeps my work grounded, human, and deeply practical.

You may be living with chronic pain — migraines, pelvic pain, nerve pain, or back pain — and still holding your life together. You want relief, of course.

And you also know this isn’t just a mechanical problem to fix.

Pain has threaded itself into how you think, plan, and move through the world. The vigilance. The overthinking. The bracing.

I work with people who want pain to take up less space in their lives — not by pushing harder or shrinking who they are, but through an integrative, personalized approach that eases the internal strain around pain and supports steadier, more sustainable ways of living.

A lot of therapy focuses on explaining what happened — telling the story clearly, making sense of the past.

My work invites something more complete into the room. We pay attention not only to your thoughts and the meaning you’ve made, but also to the emotional and physical imprints that are still present now. The way your body responds. The habits of vigilance or bracing. The parts of you that have learned to stay alert, careful, or in control.

I believe meaningful change happens when all of this is included together vs. analyzed away. When all of you is met with steadiness and respect. This work is about being with what’s real, so new options can emerge naturally.

I approach therapy with both intuition and precision, drawing from evidence-based methods and practical tools while staying deeply present with you. Some of the approaches I integrate include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Somatic techniques, including EFT/tapping
• Pain Reprocessing Therapy
• Clinical Hypnosis
• Mindfulness and relaxation practices

Your first session is a place to slow things down together. Life moves so fast anyway; let this be a place where it's safe to experiment with something different.

We’ll spend time understanding what’s been weighing on you, including how pain, stress, or vigilance are showing up in your day-to-day life. Without rushing to fix or explain everything.

Early sessions are about getting to know you and how you respond to support. I’ll offer perspective along the way and help us notice not only what you’re saying, but how your body and nervous system respond as we talk. My aim is for you to leave the first session feeling understood, oriented, and less alone with what you’re carrying.

Healing happens where mindset, emotion, physiology, and identity meet. And that's the work we can do together.