Neil offers workshops and retreats, and is available for conferences:

See descriptions below the calendar for more details.

Photo of Neil Pearson by the ocean in BC

← Back to Events

Neil Pearson

|www.paincareu.com
Photo of Neil Pearson by the ocean in BC

PT, MSc, BA-BPHE, C-IAYT, ERYT500

Neil is a skilled, compassionate physical therapist, an engaging and expert educator, and a leader in pain management in Canada. He is also Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC, yoga therapist, author, and faculty member in international yoga therapy training programs.

He is the first physical therapist to win the Excellence in Inter-Professional Pain Education Award from the Canadian Pain Society, and the founding Chair of the Canadian Physiotherapy Pain Science Division.

He is a past Pain BC board member and—in addition to his volunteer work and offering workshops and pain science education through Canada and internationally—he has worked for the Doctors of British Columbia, teaching pain management to primary care MDs and specialists.

Awards

  • 2015 Distinguished Alumni Award—Queen’s University Physiotherapy Department
  • 2012 Excellence Pain Interprofessional Pain Education—Canadian Pain Society
  • 2010 Award of Excellence for Clinical Contribution—Physiotherapy Association of BC

Publications

  • Yoga for People in Pain, chapter in Integrative Pain Management edited by Thompson & Brooks, Handspring Publishers Limited, due late 2015
  • Pearson, N, Prosko, S. Overcome Pain, Live Well Again Level 2&3 DVDs. Self-published 2014
  • Pearson, N. Know Pain. Yoga Therapy Today, Summer, 2013. 14-16
  • Pearson N. Yoga and Chronic Low Back Pain. IJYT 2010, 20: 53-54
  • Pearson N, Walton D, Moseley GL, Kerr S. Support for the effectiveness of a pain neurophysiology education session delivered in a large group format. Pilot project
  • Pearson, N. Yoga For People in Pain. IJYT 18; 77-86, 2008
  • Pearson, N. Understand Pain, Live Well Again: Pain Education for Busy Clinicians and People with Persistent Pain. (CDROM/Book). Self-published. 2008
  • Pearson, N. Overcome Pain, Live Well Again. DVD. Self published 2008
  • Pearson, ND, Walmsley, RP. Trial into the effects of repeated neck retractions in normal subjects. Spine 20: 1245, 1995
  • Pearson, ND, Butcher, D, Higgs, K. The Manga Report: Managing Political Lobbying from other Health Care Professionals. APTA Conference Abstracts #4221, 1995
  • Walmsley, RP, Pearson, ND, Stymiest, P. Eccentric wrist extensor contractions and the force-velocity relationship in muscle. J Ortho Sports Phys Ther 8(5): 288-293, 1986
  • There were no results found.
Public Pain Education Sessions

Neil provides public pain education sessions in Penticton each second month, for free on referral from regulated health professionals. While travelling and teaching health professionals he looks for opportunities to offer these sessions in new locations.

  1. The science of pain and pain care.
  2. How the body and the brain respond when there is evidence of danger.
  3. The importance of your nervous system to helping your body regain function.
  4. Pain care techniques for your body mind and spirit.
  5. New ideas and techniques to help you move with more ease.

Back to Top

Practical Applications of Pain Science—For Health Practitioners

Neil offers conference presentations and weekend workshops to health professionals interested in current pain physiology, and non-pharmacological pain management.

Back to Top

Overcome Pain Gentle Yoga Workshop/Retreat

This is a workshop for people in pain and for practitioners. No yoga experience needed.

For people living in pain:

  • Immerse yourself in three days of safe effective practices to decrease your pain and help you live well again. Explore modern science-based views on chronic pain, while empowering yourself with practical tools to improve ease of movement. Heal yourself through yoga techniques designed to wind down your nervous system and promote positive, lasting changes in your body.

The focus for practitioners includes:

  • Experiential learning of techniques—of pain care, mindfulness and yoga
  • Build a personal self care practice
  • Group mentorship—spend time listening to the experiences of people with persistent pain as they learn, practice and discuss pain care techniques.

Back to Top

Pain Care Yoga Workshop/Retreat

This is a workshop for health practitioners—regulated health professionals, yoga teachers and movement professions.

The focus is on enhancing foundational knowledge, and shifting paradigms of pain, people living in pain and evidence-based pain care.

Come to learn more about:

  • Pain anatomy, biology, physiology, psychology;
  • How suffering impacts every aspect of our existence;
  • How every aspect of our existence can be used to influence pain;
  • How to use ‘moving with ease’ as both a pain education tool and analgesic.

This workshop provides in-depth integration of pain science, innovative pain self-management techniques, yoga philosophy and yoga practices. Participants will gain a solid foundation in pain science, and in yoga philosophy related to pain and pain management.

Daily yoga practices will help the practitioner begin the integration of Pain Care Yoga principles into their clinical or therapeutic practice.

Back to Top

Pain Care Yoga Certification Course

Part 1—Over the first three days, along with the other health professionals and yoga teachers you will explore current understanding of pain physiology and of the lived experience of pain, while integrating this with the practices, techniques and teachings of yoga. You don’t need previous education about pain or practice in yoga, but you do need a passion for working with people living in pain.

Part 2—On days four-six we will be joined by a group of people living in pain who are interested in learning more about pain and experiencing how yoga can help. You will experience the PCY practices and techniques in a group setting while learning from listening to the experiences of people in pain and the guidance we provide to individualize PCY practices. During this time, you will also be paired with one individual, commencing the case study process required for completion of the certificate. If you live close to the venue, and would like to invite a guest (person living in pain) to attend, then you will be paired with this individual. There is no registration cost for this individual.

Part 3—Mini-Mentorship/Home study submission

Back to Top

Advanced Pain Care Yoga Workshop/Retreat

This is a workshop for health practitioners—regulated health professionals, yoga teachers and movement professions.

The focus of this five-day program is on developing further expertise, moving beyond foundational principles of Pain Care Yoga and focusing on key areas that will enhance your work.

Come to experience the meditative and compassionate heart of yoga, to integrate gratitude and ritual techniques into your clinical work, and improve patient/client outcomes through application of Pain Care Yoga to specific clinical presentations.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Discuss pathophysiologic and yogic views of common regional pain problems.
  2. Explore and experience techniques beyond the foundational practices to gain a deeper skill-set including conscious mindful actions specifically to help manage pain and or psycho/spiritual suffering, mindful goal setting and conscious creation of thoughtful intentions involving personal affirmations, and ritual for better long term outcomes.
  3. Begin to better understand the spirit of consciousness and awareness in pain care.
  4. Enhance facilitation techniques for individual and group settings.
  5. Practice teaching and improve your client interactions through mentoring and peer feedback.

Back to Top