Survey Response: Justin Barker, PsyD

This survey was last updated in October 2021.

Degrees/Licenses Held:
Psy.D. – Licensed Clinical Psychologist, California PSY 31921

Contact Information:
Justin Barker, Psy.D.
www.drjustinbarker.com
justin@drjustinbarker.com
424-272-1554 1849 Sawtelle Blvd, Suite 610
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Number of years in practice helping people with TMS: 6

Number of clients you have seen who have had TMS:
Hard to estimate, because lots of people have TMS but might seek psychotherapy for another issue.

I have seen 100+ that had mindbody/TMS symptoms.

What is your association to the TMS community?
I had my own experience with TMS back pain for 4 years and subsequently wrote my doctoral-level dissertation on the treatment of TMS. I have had, and healed from, many other TMS symptoms as well (foot pain; knee pain; groin pain; stomach pain, back pain; elbow pain; shoulder pain, tinnitus; dry eyes). I co-lead a TMS Healing Group with Dr. David Schechter (a TMS Medical Doctor in Southern California/Los Angeles). My private therapy practice focuses on the treatment of TMS.

Have you ever suffered from TMS? If so, how did you recover? (optional)
Yes - I’ve had TMS symptoms in many different areas of my body. I achieved full recovery from back pain after reading Healing Back Pain and applying the principles as outlined by John Sarno: Thinking Psychologically, discontinuing physical treatment, resuming movement, and accessing my repressed emotions. Once I learned about TMS, I realized that I had previously experienced other TMS pain like tendonitis without realizing it was psychological in origin. I believe that TMS symptoms come back throughout life; the key is to recognize them as TMS so that the symptoms leave quickly do not become chronic.

What insurance plans do you currently accept?
None – I am an out-of-network provider and can provide a superbill for you to submit to your insurance as long as you reside in the state of California.

Do you have a sliding scale of payment for people who are not covered by insurance?
My regular fee is between $230-$250. I am sometimes able to offer discounts.

Are you able to conduct sessions over the phone and/or via internet video services (i.e. Skype or FaceTime)?
I do phone and video sessions. For video, I use Zoom or FaceTime depending on the client’s preference.

What have you done to educate yourself about TMS, and what plans do you have for further education about TMS?
I have read numerous books on TMS including all of John Sarno’s work as well as most of the other main works on PsychoPhysiologic Disorders. I received intensive clinical supervision on TMS, and I also wrote my doctoral-level dissertation on TMS. I participate in the TMS listserve to stay up-to-date on research and I also consult regularly with Dr. David Schechter about TMS and medical issues.

What mindbody books do you recommend to your patients? In particular do you recommend Dr. Sarno's books?
I am biased towards John Sarno because his books healed me. I usually start by recommending Healing Back Pain or The MindBody Prescription. If someone wants a more technical read, I will recommend The Divided Mind. For those wanting an interactive workbook, I usually recommend Dr. David Schechter’s The MindBody Workbook or Unlearn Your Pain by Dr. Howard Schubiner. I also recommend people read success stories on the TMS Wiki as well as on the website thankyoudrsarno.org

As we are going to post your answers on the TMS Wiki, feel free to write some text to introduce yourself.
I am a clinical psychologist in the Los Angeles area. I’ve experienced personally how TMS pain can be all-consuming mentally and I know what a struggle it can be to heal. Because of my own journey with TMS, I feel incredibly passionate about TMS therapy and treatment. My favorite way to exercise is powerlifting, and I still remember to this day the moment I first felt pain in my back as well as the moment I became pain free almost four years later. The mind/body interaction is immensely complicated, and I feel honored to have the opportunity to help people live pain-free lives. I have worked with many people that have healed from years or decades of pain and I believe it takes substantial courage to confront underlying emotions that are creating the pain. For more information about me, my website is a good resource: www.drjustinbarker.com

Questions Specific to Therapists

What is your general psychotherapeutic treatment approach?
I practice from an integrative, psychodynamic/psychoanalytic approach. What this means is that I place an emphasis on the unconscious while also integrating specific behavioral techniques. To illustrate with an example: I work with many clients that have one or more problematic relationships. The unconscious element usually involves repeating one or more family dynamics in present day relationships. If we can understand and bring to light the unconscious, a client can then act with newfound autonomy and intention. The integration of behavioral techniques, then, may be discussing how to best communicate effectively, set new boundaries, and/or practice being assertive. In other words, once there is greater understanding, I work hard to help clients implement their new insights. In this way, I consider myself highly pragmatic in my treatment approach. I want my clients to feel like it is clear how their lives are changing for the better throughout the course of therapy.

How does your approach to treating TMS differ from your general psychotherapeutic treatment approach?
Since TMS symptoms represent a distraction, my approach differs in that I am starting off with the assumption that there are underlying feelings a client is needing to distract from. In this way, I see part of our work as being co-investigators in terms of what feelings are being repressed/suppressed/blocked/avoided. I also assume and have found that TMS patients are highly conscientious and hard-working. The implication for treatment, then, is that I believe kindness, compassion, and warmth are particularly needed because the TMS patient is already beating themselves up and is highly self-critical. Another key difference is that at times, I see myself as more of a coach in helping people to heal from TMS. By coaching I mean that I try to be direct and clear about what will be necessary to heal in terms of movement, mindset, and emotional processing. For example, I might recommend specific journaling exercises, resuming movement, or another activity. TMS therapy is very active.

Of note, I also work closely with TMS medical doctors and in this way my approach is different because I am most often utilizing a collaborative model of care.

Please walk us through one or more examples of what happens during a session, and how that changes over the course of working with a client.
At the start of therapy, I am trying to help a client identify the emotions and experiences that will need to be processed/addressed in order to heal. This involves varying degrees of exploration. Additionally, at the start of therapy I am also helping the client to be clear about the techniques to implement: gradually resuming movement; journaling; Thinking Psychologically; using affirmations; and consuming TMS/PPD related literature, podcasts, videos, and other media. As therapy continues over time, the goal is for us to spend time each session focusing on EXPERIENCING, not just THINKING, about emotions and feelings. Simultaneously, the goal is to address any barriers to healing, whether that be specific doubts, misunderstandings of the TMS approach, challenging work, family, or relationship situations, or something else. If/when the pain goes away, the focus of therapy then shifts to addressing issues in order to maintain healing.