Chronic Pain is long-lasting pain that persists for at least 3 months, even after the original injury has healed. It continues even when there is no clear physical cause, and is often due to how the brain processes pain signals.
Ignoring it will not make it go away. Very often, medications won’t work, and even if they do, they usually have some nasty side effects.
What can you do about it?
Chronic pain, such as back pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia, repetitive strain injury, and headaches, usually isn’t caused by physical problems in the body. Instead, it comes from changes in how the brain works, and this kind of pain can be fixed. Normally, pain is a signal that something is wrong, like when you get hurt. Your body sends a message to the brain, and you feel pain. But sometimes, the brain gets it wrong. Chronic pain happens when the brain thinks harmless sensations from the body are dangerous. It’s like a false alarm. Even though this pain can be treated by working on the brain, it doesn’t mean the pain isn’t real—brain scans prove that it is. False alarms are just as loud as real alarms. The good news is, just like the brain can learn pain, it can also unlearn it.
First, I help the client understand that their pain is real, that it is caused by the brain misinterpreting safe signals as dangerous. We talk about how Chronic pain works, and how the brain can change or “unlearn” the pain. This helps reduce fear and stress around the pain, which can make a big difference. Here are the steps that I take:
1) We work together to identify when the pain starts or gets worse. Often, certain movements, activities, or even emotions can trigger pain. I help clients to notice these patterns and understand that these triggers are not really dangerous, even though they feel like it.
2) Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: I teach techniques like mindfulness or deep breathing to help calm their nervous system. The idea is to help the brain feel safe so it can start to turn off the false pain signals.
3) When the client experiences pain, I guide them to focus on the fact that the pain is a false alarm, not a sign of injury. Instead of reacting with fear, they learn to stay calm and even gently welcome the sensation, knowing it’s not a threat. This helps the brain rewire its response to the pain.
4) If the client has been avoiding certain movements because of the pain, I help them gradually reintroduce those activities. By doing these movements safely and without fear, the brain starts to learn that the body is not in danger, and the pain reduces.
Sometimes, unresolved emotions like stress, anger, or sadness can contribute to pain. We explore these emotions in a safe and supportive way, helping the patient process them so they don’t trigger the pain response anymore.
As the client starts to feel improvements, I help them focus on and reinforce these changes. This can involve visualizing a pain-free future and celebrating even small progress to further encourage the brain to rewire.
