If you’re struggling with chronic pain, know that you’re not alone. The pain you feel is real, but it might not be coming from where you think. Sometimes, pain doesn’t start with an injury or a physical condition - it begins in the brain.
This type of pain is called neuroplastic pain, and while it can feel overwhelming, there is hope. With the right understanding and approach, you can begin to take back the control over your body, heal and find relief.
What is Neuroplastic Pain?
Neuroplastic pain happens when the brain starts sending pain signals, even though there’s no injury or tissue damage. The brain, in its effort to protect you, sometimes gets stuck in a pattern of pain. While this sounds daunting, the great news is that the brain can also change. With care and patience, you can teach your brain to stop sending those pain signals, and the pain can go away.
I know from the firsthand experience how isolating and confusing the chronic pain can feel, especially if you haven’t been able to find a clear reason for it. But neuroplastic pain can give a new perspective and add us a missing piece to our understanding - one that shows you that relief is possible.
Signs That Your Pain Might Be Neuroplastic
If you’re wondering if your pain might be neuroplastic, there are several gentle clues that can help guide you.
1. Your Pain Started During a Stressful Time
Pain often appears during moments when life feels the most overwhelming. Maybe you were going through a tough time at work, dealing with family stress, or navigating a personal challenge. Stress can cause the brain to become extra sensitive, leading to pain that doesn’t seem to make sense. If your pain started during one of these tough moments, it may be your brain’s way of responding to that stress.
2. Your Pain Came Without an Injury
Sometimes pain shows up without any clear reason. You wake up one day with a sore back or aching neck, but you didn’t hurt yourself. This can be a sign of neuroplastic pain. Even if you had an injury in the past, pain that lingers long after the body has healed may still be neuroplastic. It’s your brain holding onto that pain, even though the injury is gone.
3. Your Pain Comes and Goes
If your pain seems to change day to day or even hour to hour, you’re not imagining things. Neuroplastic pain tends to fluctuate. Some days might feel harder than others, and that’s okay. Maybe the pain is worse during stressful times, or maybe it eases up when you’re relaxing or spending time with loved ones. These ups and downs are very common with neuroplastic pain.
4. Your Pain Moves or Spreads
If your pain doesn’t stay in one spot, it might feel confusing and frustrating. Maybe it starts in your lower back, but over time spreads to your hips or shoulders. Or it might shift from one side of your body to the other. This kind of pain that moves or spreads is another sign that your brain might be at the root of it.
5. Stress Makes Your Pain Worse
Have you noticed that your pain flares up when you’re feeling stressed or anxious? When we’re under pressure—whether it’s from work, relationships, or just life in general—our brain can respond by amplifying pain. It’s not your fault, and it’s not something you’re imagining. Your brain is just trying to protect you, even if it’s not doing it in the right way. The good news is that when you feel calm and supported, the pain often lessens.
6. Your Pain Shows Up Later
Sometimes, pain doesn’t happen during an activity, but later. You might go for a walk, feel fine, but a few hours later, your back starts hurting. This kind of delayed pain can be a clue that your pain is neuroplastic, especially if there was no clear injury.
Triggers Beyond the Physical
It’s important to know that neuroplastic pain can be triggered by things that seem unrelated to your body, like the weather, certain times of day, or even certain emotions. This is because the brain links certain experiences with pain, even though they’re not causing physical harm. Understanding these triggers can help you approach your pain with more kindness and awareness.
The Role of Personality and Life Experiences
Certain personality traits and life experiences can make us more sensitive to neuroplastic pain. If you tend to be hard on yourself, strive for perfection, or often worry about others, your brain may be in a constant state of alert. This heightened sensitivity can make you more prone to chronic pain.
Additionally, if you’ve experienced difficult situations growing up—like family stress, trauma, or feeling unsafe—this can also shape how your brain responds to pain later in life. But please know, none of this is your fault. Your brain has been trying to protect you all along, even though it’s not doing so in the most helpful way.
How to Begin Healing from Neuroplastic Pain
If some of this sounds familiar, you may be wondering, “What can I do about it?” The beautiful thing about neuroplastic pain is that it’s reversible. Because the brain created the pain, it also has the power to unlearn it.
This process of unlearning pain can have one or couple of ingredients. In my practice, I combine the techniques from Pain Reprocessing Therapy, Emotional Awareness and Expression work, and Feldenkrais Method of somatic education to address it on both cognitive and physical experience levels.
In our work together, we help you gently rewire your brain to stop associating certain situations, movements, or emotions with pain. We teach your brain to feel safe again, and many people have found real relief through it.
A Gentle Path Forward
Healing neuroplastic pain is a journey, and it’s okay to take it one step at a time. It’s about learning to be kind to yourself, understanding that your pain is real, but also knowing that your brain can change.
Your pain is not something you have to live with forever.
By learning about neuroplastic pain and working with your brain, you can start to heal. It might take time, and there may be ups and downs along the way, but with patience, self-compassion, and the right support, you can find relief.
Remember, you don’t have to go through this alone. Reach out to people who understand what you’re going through, and don’t hesitate to seek professional help if you need it. Healing is possible, and you deserve to feel better.
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If you'd like to explore the ways in which I could help you on your healing journey, drop me a message at iryna@mindfulbody.lu 🌿
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