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headacheMD® Houston Heights (77008) – Headache Treatment Center

headacheMD® Houston is the Flagship Practice of the headacheMD® Network, founded by Pamela Blake, MD, a board-certified neurologist and headache medicine specialist.

Our mission is to one patient at a time. Using Dr. Blake's protocols, our team completes a detailed history, emotional evaluation and physical examination, with careful decision-making regarding the etiology of your head and neck pain. These factors lead to a more thorough diagnosis and recommended treatment plan.

Pamela Blake, MD - headache specialist, Houston

Pamela Blake, MD, FAHS

Medical Director & Founder

Board-certified neurologist and headache medicine specialist.
Neil McMullin, MD - surgeon in headacheMD® network, Houston

Neil McMullin, MD

Surgeon in the headacheMD® network

Board-certified plastic surgeon. Houston nerve decompression surgery.

Schedule (Houston)

Office Hours

Monday - Thursday:
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Friday:
8:30 AM - 3:00 PM

Contact Information

Address:
NEW LOCATION
2410 Ella Blvd, Ste C (2nd Floor)
Houston, TX 77008

Phone:
713-426-3337

Email:
info@hMDhou.com

Get Directions
Call 713-426-3337 Email us

Directory: Yelp | MapQuest

Research snapshot

What the evidence shows

EAET was developed by Mark Lumley, PhD (Wayne State University) and Howard Schubiner, MD in the early 2010s. Over a decade of randomized trials and meta-analyses has followed. Below is a plain-language summary of key findings relevant to chronic head and neck pain care.

Clinical trials evaluating EAET across neuroplastic pain conditions

Of EAET patients achieved clinically significant pain reduction vs. 17% in CBT group

JAMA Netw Open. 2024

Yarns BC, Lumley MA, Schubiner H, et al. Emotional awareness and expression therapy vs cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain in older veterans: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(6):e2415842. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.15842.

PubMed · Full text (JAMA Network Open)

Patients across 37 trials in a systematic review and meta-analysis of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for functional somatic disorders

Emotion-focused modalities showed larger effects in subgroup analyses.

RCT

EAET vs. CBT for fibromyalgia

Lumley MA, Schubiner H, et al. Emotional awareness and expression therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and education for fibromyalgia: a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Pain. 2017;158(12):2504-2517. doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000988.

DOI · PMC free full text · PubMed

In a cluster-randomized controlled trial, EAET produced greater reductions in widespread pain, fatigue, and functional impairment compared to cognitive-behavioral therapy and an education control — establishing EAET’s superiority in a large, well-powered chronic pain population.

RCT

EAET achieves greater pain reduction than CBT in older adults

Yarns BC, Lumley MA, Schubiner H, et al. Emotional awareness and expression therapy achieves greater pain reduction than cognitive behavioral therapy in older adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain: a preliminary randomized comparison trial. Pain Med. 2020;21(11):2811-2825. doi:10.1093/pm/pnaa021.

DOI · PubMed · Full text (OUP)

In a randomized comparison trial of older adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain, EAET produced significantly greater pain reduction than CBT. Patients with higher baseline depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms showed the greatest benefit from EAET — the very patients most likely to present in a headache neurology practice.

RCT

EAET for somatic symptom disorder with centralized symptoms

Maroti D, Lumley MA, Schubiner H, et al. Internet-administered emotional awareness and expression therapy for somatic symptom disorder with centralized symptoms: a preliminary efficacy trial. Front Psychiatry. 2021;12:620359. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.620359.

Maroti D, Lumley MA, Schubiner H, et al. Emotional processing and its association to somatic symptom change in emotional awareness and expression therapy for somatic symptom disorder: a preliminary mediation investigation. Front Psychol. 2021;12:712518. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.712518.

PubMed (efficacy) · PubMed (mediation) · Front Psychiatry full text · Front Psychol full text

Two trials evaluated internet-delivered EAET for patients with somatic symptom disorder — the diagnostic category that includes many patients whose neurological symptoms are real but unexplained by structural disease. Significant reductions in somatic symptoms, pain, depression, insomnia, and anxiety were observed. Emotional processing was confirmed as a partial mediator of symptom change.

Meta-analysis

Emotion-focused therapies for functional somatic symptoms

Abbass A, Lumley MA, Town J, Holmes H, Luyten P, Cooper A, Russell L, Schubiner H, De Meulemeester C, Kisely S. Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy for functional somatic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis of within-treatment effects. Psychother Psychosom. 2021;90(3):157-175. doi:10.1159/000512998.

PubMed · DOI

Also cited by FND Hope International and the This Might Hurt research community.

Across 2,094 patients, somatic symptoms improved significantly from pre-treatment to short-term follow-up with a large effect size — and that improvement was maintained at long-term follow-up. This is the evidence base most directly applicable to patients whose functional symptoms have not responded to standard biomedical treatment.

Review

EAET listed among behavioral options by U.S. HHS Pain Task Force

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force Report: Updates, Gaps, Inconsistencies, and Recommendations. Published May 9, 2019.

PDF (HHS.gov)

The federal inter-agency task force convened by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has listed EAET among recommended behavioral treatment options for chronic pain — placing it in the same tier as established approaches such as CBT and acceptance-based therapies.

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Affordability of Revolutionizing headache careTM

Revolutionizing headache careTM should be affordable. The headacheMD® network strives to keep care accessible, and while we do not manage the business model of individual network locations, we strongly encourage all participants to accept as many insurance plans as possible.

headacheMD® Houston PLLC is leading by example: through Dr. Blake, the practice has donated to the headacheMD® For All Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps cover third-party surgical costs for patients who meet eligibility criteria. Learn more at www.hMDforall.org.

Medical Providers

Meet our experienced team of headache specialists and healthcare professionals.

Alison Rickerson

Alison Rickerson, PA-C

Physician Assistant

Experienced physician assistant specializing in Dr. Blake's protocols for chronic head and neck pain.

Whitney Smith, PA-C

Whitney Smith, PA-C

Physician Assistant

Expanding her knowledge of Dr. Blake's protocols for chronic head and neck pain.

Jill Flury, PA-C

Jill Flury, PA-C

Physician Assistant

Expertise in headache management and patient education.

headacheMD® Management

Meet the team Revolutionizing headache careTM in Houston and Austin.

Team Support

Life at headacheMD® Houston

A glimpse at the people and energy that make our clinic feel welcoming, peaceful and capable of resolving your complex condition.

Houston headacheMD® care team photo

Our amazing team celebrating the rebranding to headacheMD® Houston, with more exciting changes to come.

headacheMD® Houston team in front of tree painting

Our Houston team standing in front of the clinic’s Texas tree painting by Isabelle Dupuy—a daily reminder of growth and care.

headacheMD® Houston team moment

We use "Complex and Fragile" by Isabelle Dupuy to illustrate the interplay of the brain and the occipital nerves in head and neck pain and effective treatments to find relief.

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