My recovery from chronic pain and illness
For years, I had pain that moved around. Depending on the day, it could be my ear, my eye, my chest, a hand, a knee, a foot. But some pain was always there — my jaw, my neck, my shoulders, and tension headaches that felt like a tight headband I couldn't take off. There was also the chronic dizziness, stomach issues, and visual disturbances. And underneath all of it, a constant anxiety. Everything felt like too much.
Searching for solutions became my second full-time job. Multiple ENTs and neurologists. Scans and lab work. Chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncturists, and massage therapists. A nutritionist, a naturopath, and many supplements. TMJ specialists, mouthguards, and orthodontics. Some of it helped, but it wasn't enough. Despite the $100,000 I spent in just five years, I was still struggling and looking for answers.
It was a lonely process. It wasn't only that I carried the burden of finding answers alone, but also that it was hard for others to relate to what my life had become. They were used to the Ileana who traveled the world, not the one who left her house only for medical appointments. So I isolated myself further, making my world that much smaller.
Then one day I found my way out — on Instagram, of all places. Someone mentioned Dr. John Sarno and his work on the emotional roots of chronic pain and illness. I bought one of his books, and as I read it, I checked every box. The trauma, rage, and grief I had pushed down for years. The lifelong patterns of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and self-criticism. The fear that had me constantly monitoring my body, braced for the next flare. For the first time, I considered that my symptoms might be generated by my brain and nervous system, not by damage in my body. But it didn't yet explain what to do about it. So I kept going.
I went deep into mind-body medicine — trainings, workshops, research — until I had a plan of my own. I learned to feel and express the emotions I had buried for years. I started healing the wounds underneath my perfectionism and self-criticism. And I learned something that surprised me: I had to do less, not more. I let go of the urgency and the timelines, and I started treating myself with real compassion instead of pressure.
That's when things began to shift. My symptoms quieted. My life opened back up. Now I help others find their way out too, because no one should have to suffer as long as I did, or search for the answer alone.
New possibilities
My credentials
My path to this work began in research.
I earned a PhD in psychology at Florida International University (FIU), where my clinical and research focus was the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders. I was mentored by Dr. Wendy Silverman, a world-renowned researcher at Yale University who founded and directs the Child Study Center's Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program. During those years, I worked on multimillion-dollar NIMH-funded studies examining evidence-based treatments for anxiety in children and adolescents.
I then moved into education. As the Associate Director for Educational Development at FIU's Center for the Advancement of Teaching, I used the psychology and neuroscience of learning to measurably improve student success. I founded the Contemplative Practices in Education initiative to bring mindfulness into all aspects of university life and cultivate an academic community that fosters individual and institutional well-being. In this role, I had the pleasure of guiding meditations for faculty, staff, and students, thanks to my mindfulness teacher training through UCLA's Mindful Awareness Research Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.
For a decade, I also taught undergraduate and graduate psychology and counseling courses at FIU as an adjunct professor. Students learn best when they feel genuinely known, supported, and empowered, and building that connection was always the part of teaching I loved the most.
After my own recovery, I moved to full-time private practice, specializing in chronic pain, chronic illness, trauma, and the anxiety and depression that tend to show up alongside them. In addition to my expertise in Trauma-Informed Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, I have trained in Somatic Therapy, Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), and more.
I have been a licensed psychotherapist in Florida since 2015.