Pain Becomes Chronic when the neural pathways continue to send danger signals after the injury or disease has resolved. The Boulder Back Pain Study (JAMA 2019) documented in the film Pain Brain (www.painbrainfilm.com) shows through FMRI (Functional MRI) that when pain becomes chronified, it has moved to the emotional centers of the brain. Acute pain is in a separate area of the brain.

Conditions that are Commonly Caused by Mind Body Syndrome AKA NeuroPlastic Pain Syndrome (as listed in Unlearn Your Pain by Dr. Howard Schubiner, MD)

Chronic Pain Syndromes

  • Tension headaches

  • Migraine headaches

  • Back Pain

  • Neck Pain

  • Whiplash

  • Fibromyalgia

  • TMJ

  • Chronic Abdominal and Pelvic Pain syndromes

  • Chronic tendonitis

  • Vulvodynia

  • Piriformis syndrome

  • Sciatica pain syndrome

  • Repetitive stress injury

  • Foot pain syndromes

  • Myofascial pain syndrome

 

Autonomic Nervous System Related Disorders

  • IBS

  • Interstitial cystitis

  • Postural orthostati tachycardia syndrome

  • Sinus tachycardia

  • Reflex sympathetic dystrophy

  • Functional dyspepsia

 

 

Other Syndromes

  • Insomnia

  • Chronic Fatigue

  • Numbness, Tingling, Burning

  • Tinnitus

  • Dizziness

  • Spasmodic Dysphonia

  • Chronic hives

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • OCD

  • PTSD

  • MCS

 

 

Neuroplastic Pain is LEARNED PAIN.  Following are some but not all of the reasons that NP develops.

  • Initial physical injury: The body heals but a neural circuit has been created and remains long after the initial injury has healed.

  • ACEs: Adverse Childhood Experiences

  • Sexual Assault or Injury

  • Perfectionist Parenting

  • Personality Type: Perfectionist, People Pleaser, Effective and Efficient, Get the job done type.

  • STRESS!  Worrying about:  Relationships, Parents, Children, Jobs, Money, Politics, Health, Global Warming, Gun Laws, Reproductive Rights

The good news is that you often don’t have to resolve these issues to heal your chronic pain (eg work situation, climate change, political landscape). Making the connection that the circuitry has been created as a way to protect or distract allows you to start changing the messages from your brain to your body. 

Learning to care for your central nervous system is key. In Pain Reprocessing therapy you will learn to care for your nervous system, reduce stress, look at pain in a new way, reduce hyper vigilance and eliminate or recognize what your pain is telling you, thus learning that when you have pain, you know what to do and how to listen to those sensations.