Many of your symptoms fit with degenerative facet disease (arthritis) in the upper cervical spine. These facets can be difficult to diagnose on an X-ray or MRI and can be commonly missed by a radiologist. Be careful in taking the diagnosis of a therapist for a specific disorder. She might be able to tell you what she finds in the way of muscle spasm but that does not always translate to the discovery of the true disorder.
If this looks to be facet arthrosis (arthritis but without the inflammation), facet blocks can yield diagnostic information. See the section under facet blocks on this website for more thorough explanation.
Your lack of insurance will make diagnosis and treatment difficult. You can check with your local university to see if they treat indigent patients. You could apply for Medicaid.
Dr. Corenman
Donald Corenman, MD, DC is a highly-regarded spine surgeon, considered an expert in the area of neck and back pain. Trained as both a Medical Doctor and Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Corenman earned academic appointments as Clinical Assistant Professor and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and his research on spine surgery and rehabilitation has resulted in the publication of multiple peer-reviewed articles and two books.