Medically Unexplained Symptoms: The BodyMind Approach™

Full Professor of Psychotherapy, Hatfield, UK

Helen Payne, PhD, UKCP Reg. is a Professor of Psychotherapy at The University of Hertfordshire, where she conducts research into the effectiveness of a novel and accessible intervention called The BodyMind Approach (TBMA) for people with chronic, bodily symptoms for which tests and scans come back negative for an organic diagnosis. She has led the University of Hertfordshire’s Pathways2wellbeing https://www.herts.ac.uk/pathways2wellbeing/index which has delivered TBMA clinics in the NHS and privately for people with medically unexplained symptoms. As an expert practitioner and trainer in TBMA, Helen has substantial practical experience of working with chronic somatising clients. She and her colleagues have taken the lead nationally in promoting the self-management of such symptoms (e.g. IBS; fibromyalgia, ME; chronic fatigue; chronic pain) which often accompany emotional distress.