Lisa M.
Posted
Awesome experience overall
Awesome experience overall, good decision to stick with it and what an terrific way to comeback pain free and stress free.

Excellent
28 reviews
Pain Free Comeback helps athletes with lingering injuries and chronic pain become pain-free — without surgery, medication, or endless physical treatments. We specialize in a non-invasive mindbody recovery process rooted in the latest neuroscience and pain psychology. Whether you've been sidelined by back pain, a torn meniscus, or symptoms no one can explain, our proven method helps you eliminate pain at the source — so you can reclaim your sport, your confidence, and your life.Pain Free Comeback was co-founded by two certified coaches: Alec Kassin, former semi-pro cyclist who overcame years of chronic back pain, and Miriam Gauci Bongiovanni, a rock climber who overcame shoulder pain, piriformis syndrome, and neuropathic arm pain. Both were inspired by Doctor John Sarno and his method for resolving chronic symptoms, or what he called Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS). Pain Free Comeback offers 1:1 and group coaching, a step-by-step online program, an online community, and a powerful audio course. We’ve helped everyone from elite triathletes to active seniors return to what they love—pain-free. If you have chronic pain or a lingering injury, check out the reviews below to see how you can reclaim your sport, your confidence, and your life.
Pain Free Comeback (painfreecomeback.com) has 28 customer reviews on Consumer Courier, with an average rating of 5.0 out of 5.
28 approved reviews, newest moderated first
Lisa M.
Posted
Awesome experience overall, good decision to stick with it and what an terrific way to comeback pain free and stress free.
Heidi R.
Posted
I can genuinely say, this was the best money I have ever spent and invested on myself and my health. Before investing in this program I took several weeks to deliberate due to the cost. Eventually I decided to take a leap of faith and give it a try. In the end, I had already invested hundreds of dollars into my health and wellness with physical therapy, MRIs, doctor visits, and other medical bills. I was hitting a dead end and was eager to find a way to take control of my pain and symptoms and get back to the life I wanted to live. I started this program not being able to do any fitness activities that I deeply loved. I can now say that I'm back to resuming all activities pain and symptom free. The few minor symptoms that might still surface are very mild and short lived. All because of the interventions and practices and education that I learned from this program. I had participated in other communities that focus on TMS, But I was desperate for one that really helped individuals like myself where my fitness and love for running, biking, hiking etc was triggering my pain. This was what I needed. My only complaint is that not enough people and athletes know about this program and how much it can help them get back to sport and help their performance. If you are debating giving this program a tray, take it from me. It is WORTH every penny! Even when you finish the program, Alec and Miriam set it up where you have FOREVER access to their community, education, group sessions, etc. Just trust me, it is worth it.
Response from Pain Free Comeback· Jun 23, 2026
Wow - thank you for such an amazing review, Heidi! We're so pleased at the progress you've made and are excited for your pain-free life to continue to unfold :) - Alec & Miriam
Ari H.
Posted
After a half a dozen or so years as a fairly competitive amateur runner, I shifted over to triathlon in 2024 and started experiencing some right adductor pain in late November / December 2024. This had been an area I'd had some discomfort previously but it had always gone away, with large stretches of time and hundreds if not thousands of miles pain free. This time it lingered and led me down a path of pausing running, seeing a few PTs, embarking on an intense PT training program focusing on addressing my diagnosis (Osteitis Pubis), a return to running and triathlon with ups and downs, and eventually opening me up to the world of mind body medicine. At a certain point I realized that I had the strength, movement patterns, and structural / physical ability to run and train pain free and it didn't add up that I was still struggling with mild pain that would move around and come and go. I listened to several books, podcasts, and began to buy into the concept of TMS but struggled to make the progress I hoped for on my own. After finally feeling like I'd "fixed" my issue and hitting a running milestone roughly a year after my initial discomfort started, I had a setback with a flare up in the same adductor area a week or two later and that led me to seek out the help of a professional and ultimately to Alec. I knew I needed someone to help me figure out what was going on and Alec was my answer. Working with Alec has been nothing short of life changing. We spent 3-4 months digging into all the various potential drivers for me - performance focus in athletics, life and career, personal and family goals and factors, personality traits, learned behaviors, etc. I had ups and downs along the way but ultimately have come out the other side chronic symptom free, feeling great, training at the level I want and, most importantly of all, a better human being and better version of myself than I started. More kind, more empathetic, more understanding, more in touch with my emotional side, and a better husband and father. And I have a toolkit now to work through the challenges of life - physical sensations, life stressors, worries, fears, harder days, etc. - in a healthy way. As an athlete, in the spring of 2025 I'd hoped to do my first half ironman in Oceanside, California and couldn't as I wasn't running last spring. A month or so ago I completed that very race in 2026, had a blast the entire time, felt great during and afterwards and, to top it all off, the run leg was my strongest of the three and my first half marathon since my TMS journey began! I've got more races on my mind for 2026 and am approaching my training and racing journey from a place of joy, curiosity, and freedom. If, like me, you're experiencing discomfort and pain related to your athletic performance and maybe it's not debilitating and maybe you're not very limited but it's still incredibly frustrating nevertheless, trust that there is an answer. If you're open to TMS but can't seem to make the progress you want on your own, trust that there is a path with Alec on your side. Essentially if you have anything going on physically that doesn't add up, I strongly encourage you to consider TMS as a diagnosis and Alec as your guide. I can say this without hyperbole - it will change your life.
mark C.
Posted
I have had a number of chronic pain symptoms for the last 8 years and have spent the last 2 years working on understanding the connection between mind and body symptoms. I have read most every book written from Dr's Sarno, Schecter, Schubiner, and worked with a few coaches. Each gave me glimpses of a pain free life but I could never get rid of any of them. When I found Alec, one of the first things he told me was that I was the one who could fix myself not him. This was a revelation since I had been looking for a magic mantra, meditation, or thought process that would solve my symptoms. His program is clear, well researched, and organized in a way that builds each week. In the 3 months since I started working with Alec, 3 of my symptoms have resolved. Elbow tendinitis (both), back, and shoulder pain. I am active at the gym, surfing, and golfing without any pain or thought of pain. I would recommend Alec to anyone suffering chronic symptoms whether you are new to TMS or have been trying with limited or no success to get better.
Patrick
Posted
As someone who has dealt with chronic pain for over 2 decades, and as someone who has been in and out of the TMS space for a handful of years, I was weary about dedicating more time trying to be pain-free. While I believed in the mind-body connection, and I'd seen enough to know it, I still felt like a life without pain, especially as an aging athlete, was for other people. I assumed that the injuries I'd acquired over the past year, in addition to my chronic ailments meant that decline was the only road forward and that I'd only ever return to running in a compromised form with diminished expectations. Optimistic, I know. In reading about the program, however, I was inspired by Alec's story—seeing some of myself in it. I knew that Alec would be able to help me understand what was going on with me, while also respecting my goals as an athlete. I decided at that moment to trust him in guiding me towards recovery, and I am so glad that I did. In January when I signed up for the course, I was unable to run more than a quarter mile, overwhelmed by pain from too many angles to even try to understand what might be going on. Yesterday, on April 5, I finished a 40 mile week of running, marking my 6th in a row of steady gains and largely pain-free, despair-free runs. No joke, I'm also faster and stronger than I used to be. The coursework and videos in the program are enough to help anyone get started with, and move through their pain free comeback, but what really sets PFC apart from the rest is the sense of community and belonging that it provides through the group support calls, and community board. Personally, those were the game changers for me—being able, and asked to show up in a group of peers, all going through some version of the same thing, with the space to share, ask, and listen—was transformative. In these calls, and on the community board, all of the theory I'd learned became embodied, and I started to see myself as someone who could live a life without pain. More and more, I am living that life. While I still have little distance to go, I'm confident that I have the tools to work with whatever comes up. If you are someone—an athlete or not, who has struggled with pain for any amount of time, I can't recommend Alec and Miriam enough. Compassionate, intuitive, and full of wisdom. They are the real deal!
customer
Posted
This program is a life-changer! I am not a professional athlete; I am a middle-aged woman with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who enjoys being active. For the last 4.5 years, I've suffered from chronic, debilitating neck and head nerve pain that shut my life down, including early retirement from a career I loved. After seeing 7 different neurosurgeons and trying every conceivable treatment available, resulting in zero relief, I embarked on this journey. Within a week, my head was pain-free! I thought it was a fluke at first, but now, 2 months later, I am still pain-free 95% of the time. If it starts to come back, I have the tools to stop the pain and carry on with life. The Pain-Free Comeback is also easing the RA pain. I cannot express my satisfaction enough. Alec and Miriam are angels who are changing lives. If you are in constant pain, I highly recommend this program, regardless of your age, fitness level, or geography.
Response from Pain Free Comeback· Dec 12, 2025
Thank you so much for the review! We're delighted that the program has been life-changing for both your headaches and RA. Warm regards, Alec & Miriam
Saro
Posted
This program completed shift my way to see workout after a chronic situation. Alec has helped me a lot with my symptom recovery. The meditations in this program is also top notch. It's the best meditation i've tried out after comparing with tons of others in pain recovery, somatic tracking etc. Thank you so much!!
Isaac
Posted
For several months, I was struggling with high hamstring tendinopathy. Despite many different physical interventions and time away from training, I couldn't get past it and was particularly struggling with pain sitting. As an avid triathlete I was very frustrated and almost ready to give up on the season. It wasn't until I started learning about neuroplastic pain and working with Alec that things started to actually change. I have learned how strong my mind body connection is and how much my body follows my brain's expectations. I have gained much more appreciation for how strong my body is and that movement is not harmful - my body was made to move. It wasn't instant, but after working with Alec I am barely thinking about sitting discomfort anymore and am back to a normal training load and racing again. I would really encourage anyone who finds themself fearing injury or struggling with pain lingering longer than makes sense to consider with an open mind what role the brain and your emotions could be playing- you might be surprised!