Neuroplastic pain

If you have been experiencing chronic pain, therapy can help. More and more research is coming out about “neuroplastic pain.” Neuroplastic pain refers to chronic pain that is influenced by the brain and the nervous system. So how does this work? Once pain becomes chronic (lasting longer than 3-6 months), our brain gets used to being in pain. We develop neural pathways–essentially a brain shortcut–interpreting safe sensations as pain. Central sensitization develops, which means our nervous system is more and more sensitive to threat. It starts interpreting more sensations as dangerous, which is why people experiencing chronic pain often have multiple symptoms.

Pain is a danger signal from our brain. Because chronic pain is stressful, scary, and frustrating, our nervous system keeps producing that danger signal. Then we’re in the brain/pain loop. We keep experiencing pain, so we’re scared of the pain. Which produces more pain. And so on and so on. 

your pain is real

This can definitely sound like “the pain is all in your head! It’s not real!” For people who have had their pain dismissed by health professionals, that can feel very frustrating. But the pain is very real! The brain can produce debilitating, 10/10 pain. However, the path to reduce pain might not be in the body. Instead, it’s in the mind/body connection. 

What about symptoms?

Someone’s nervous systems can also fire non-pain symptoms as a danger signal. These symptoms include chronic dizziness, fatigue, itchiness, burning, numbness, irritable bowel, bladder urgency, and nausea. These symptoms are very real! But the way to change them is by reducing the fear around them. This calms the nervous system, and it can get out of the fear/symptom loop.

Pain reprocessing therapy

Pain reprocessing therapy can help reduce fear around the pain and symptoms. By gently going towards the sensations with curiosity, our brain learns that these sensations are safe again. Our neural pathways rewire, and the pain or symptoms eventually reduce or go away. 

It sounds wild, but it’s so cool! Pain Reprocessing Therapy can help with chronic pain like back pain, lingering injuries, fibromyalgia, pelvic pain, and migraines, as well as chronic symptoms like dizziness, interstitial cystitis, long Covid, chronic fatigue, and IBS. 

On a personal note

I lived with chronic pain for over a decade. I had many symptoms including interstitial cystitis, vaginismus, vulvodynia, shoulder pain, knee pain, hand pain, and back pain. I went to dozens of health professionals including physical therapists, acupuncturists, and chiropractors. Some things would help a bit, but then the pain would come back. I read the book The Way Out by Alan Gordon in 2021, and within a few weeks almost all of my pain was gone. After that, I became really fun at parties by interjecting into anyone’s conversations to tell them about neuroplastic pain. Everyone loves it! No one is annoyed. Anyway, I completed training for Pain Reprocessing Therapy in 2025, so now I interject with even more conviction!