Featured Speakers and Hosts

Vanessa Blackstone is the Founder and Executive Director of Pain Psychology Centre UK. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Association for Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms (ATNS), teaches internationally on Pain Reprocessing Therapy and neuroplastic symptoms, and provides faculty education through UCLA’s Orofacial Pain Program. Vanessa is co-author of The Pain Reprocessing Therapy Workbook, which has been translated into multiple languages and is used by individuals and clinicians around the world. Through her own recovery from chronic symptoms, she brings both professional expertise and lived experience to helping people better understand the role of the brain and nervous system in persistent symptoms.

Siera Heaton is a psychotherapist and founder of The Creek Retreat and Pine Creek Therapy in southern Utah. She works with people experiencing chronic pain, illness, and nervous-system symptoms, using neuroscience-informed, somatic, and relational approaches, including Pain Reprocessing Therapy. Siera brings both clinical expertise and lived experience navigating multiple sclerosis and chronic symptoms. At the retreat, she helps participants understand protective patterns, build a greater sense of safety, and practice new ways of responding to symptoms and daily challenges.

Tyler Burton is a physical therapist specializing in chronic pain. He helps people understand the relationship between pain, the nervous system, and movement, and supports them in returning to activities that matter to them. His approach combines physical therapy with pain science and practical, individualized movement. Tyler is passionate about helping people feel more confident in their bodies and make sense of persistent symptoms. He brings this perspective to The Creek Retreat as a co-host and presenter.

Elizabeth Van Meter is a counselor-in-training whose work incorporates somatic approaches and Pain Reprocessing Therapy. At The Creek Retreat, she helps create space for participants to reflect, connect, and integrate their experiences. She facilitates group processing and leads sound bath sessions, offering opportunities to slow down and notice what is happening in the body. Elizabeth brings a thoughtful, supportive presence to the retreat and helps participants consider how the ideas and practices they explore can fit into daily life.