Pain Reprocessing Therapy: From Pain to Empowered
50 million adults in the US alone are reported to suffer from chronic pain (that number jumps to 1.2 billion adults globally!). Chronic pain defines our lives, limits what we can do, and perhaps most importantly, limits what we think we can do.
The old paradigm for solving chronic pain tells us that something’s wrong with your body, that something’s broken and you need to fix it. Pain is a thing to conquer.
That’s a high-intensity, stress-inducing experience that has us constantly on the search for the right procedure, the right exercise, the right person that can fix us.
The reality is that the old paradigm hasn’t worked, and doesn’t work for the vast majority of chronic pain sufferers. It increases stress and urgency, which accentuates your pain.
Recent advances in neuroscience are redefining what we know about chronic pain. We now know that most often our bodies are NOT broken, and that the majority of chronic pain is neuroplastic – pain caused when the brain misinterprets safe signals from the body as if they’re dangerous.
Pain Reprocessing Therapy was recently featured on the Today Show! Check out their segment here.
The new paradigm understands that your pain doesn’t live in your body; it lives in your nervous system. Your body is not broken. We simply need to teach your brain that your body is safe.
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is a research-validated, mindfulness-based system of psychological techniques that retrains the brain to respond appropriately to signals from the body, breaking the cycle of chronic pain.
By teaching your brain to interpret the everyday signals it receives from your body as safe, you can turn down the volume on your pain, reduce the intensity and stress pain causes, and take back control of your body, your activities, and your life.
Using PRT, you learn how to retrain your brain to perceive the sensations you’re experiencing in your body as safe. Together we teach your brain that the sensations you’re experiencing are simply sensations, and that there’s no actual threat to your body that needs to be met with pain signals to keep you safe. To do this, we focus on:
Developing mindful self-awareness
Learning to track and be present with sensation & emotion in your body with ease
Gathering evidence that your pain is neuroplastic to show your brain that you’re not broken
Home practices to reinforce and further integrate the changes we’re making to your brain’s interpretation of physical sensations
This is not a one-size-fits-all practice. It’s a custom-tailored approach to your unique strengths and learning edges. Within a handful of sessions, you’ll:
Have learned a simple, specific process for turning down the volume on your pain
Learn to recognize what triggers your pain so you can stop the pain cycle in its tracks
Understand and be able to recognize the specific physical, mental, and emotional responses your System has to pain
Have at least one tool you can use to reprogram your brain’s response to pain on your own
Here’s a sample of recent client results:
“PRT was a full 180-degree flip on how I perceived my pain; my days are now significantly easier & more enjoyable to get through than they were. Knowing that I am not injured and that there is nothing physically wrong with my body has been so freeing. I feel more excited for the future and feel like I have control over my body again. Once again, I can’t thank you enough for these sessions and how much you have helped me.” -- Danny J.
"I have happily discovered that 80% of the time when I notice pain in my back, I am able to resolve it completely. The other 20% I can at least reduce it considerably. One time my partner and I were having a heated discussion regarding construction plans, I felt that pain rising drastically and was able to turn it around very quickly. (Side note it helped to turn around the discussion as well.)" -- Gail L.
"After the PRT Program I now feel that my pain is not a permanent feature. Even if I feel the pain sensations, I know it’s fairly temporary, and my body has the ability to 'reset.'" -- Patrick H.
"My body is hurting far less. I realize now that my thoughts and sensations are generated and that I can breathe and slow down when they come up and be with them, then let them move." -- Natalie F.
Excited for the possibilities?
If you’re interested in Pain Reprocessing Therapy in Austin, and worldwide via Zoom, let’s chat to answer your questions and determine if PRT is the right fit for you. Drop me a line with your questions! I’m happy to connect and help you get clear on what your next steps are.
I look forward to the opportunity to guide you on your journey!