Rewire Your Brain, Relieve Your Pain
The Science Behind Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)
If you're living with chronic pain and have tried everything without relief, Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) might be the solution you’ve been looking for.
Chronic pain can feel never-ending, but new science reveals that a large part of this pain comes from how the brain misinterprets normal signals from the body, even when there’s no real injury or threat.
How Does PRT Work?
PRT is based on the idea that chronic pain often comes from a “pain loop” in the brain. In this loop, the brain mistakenly thinks the body is still in danger, causing it to keep sending pain signals even when there’s nothing physically wrong.
PRT helps you retrain your brain to focus on safety and finally put an end these false pain messages in the nervous system.
Here are some key techniques used in PRT:
Pain Reprocessing Exercises: These exercises help you recognize that your pain is caused by the brain’s confusion, not by actual physical harm. By focusing on specific thoughts and responses during painful moments, you begin to teach your brain that it’s safe, and it doesn’t need to create pain.
Somatic Tracking: In this technique, you pay attention to your pain without fear or frustration. You calmly notice the sensation and remind yourself that the pain is not dangerous. This helps reduce the brain's overreaction and retrains it to respond more normally to bodily sensations.
Mindful Awareness: You learn to identify the emotions and thoughts that may be amplifying your pain. By becoming aware of these stressors, you can shift your mindset, which helps lower the brain’s pain signals.
Reframing Pain Thoughts: Instead of viewing pain as something to fear or avoid, PRT teaches you to reframe pain as a harmless signal from the brain. Changing the way you think about your pain helps your brain realize that there is no danger, reducing its need to keep sending pain signals.
Why Does It Work?
PRT works because the brain is extremely adaptable. Just like the brain can learn to create pain, it can also learn to stop. Chronic pain often stems from fear, stress, and worry, which keep the brain in high alert mode. PRT addresses this by calming the brain and rewiring its responses, so it no longer misinterprets normal sensations as pain.
NIH Study on Retraining the Brain to Treat Chronic Pain
Over four weeks, PRT sessions resulted in 66% of chronic back pain participants becoming pain-free or nearly pain-free, compared to only 20% and 10% in placebo and usual care groups, respectively. Functional MRI scans showed significant reductions in pain-related brain activity, supporting the premise that chronic pain can be "unlearned." These results remained consistent after one year. (Source: National Institutes of Health)
