The concept of neuroplasticity has become quite well known these days. Well-known statements like “neurons that fire together, wire together” (Donald Hebb), and “where attention goes, energy flows” (James Redfield), have now become clichés in practically any self-development field.
But there is one field in which brain plasticity is more crucial than most people would imagine, and which is not usually equated with self-development: and that’s the field of chronic pain and other symptoms.
What is neuroplasticity and what does it have to do with chronic pain?
Neuroplasticity refers to “the capacity of neurons and neural networks in the brain to change their connections and behaviour in response to new information, sensory stimulation, development, damage, or dysfunction” (Britannica).
In other words, it refers to the brain’s ability to make new connections and learn new things, which can include new skills and habits. Structural plasticity can take place as a result, as the brain actually changes its physical structure based on the acquisition of new information.
Neuroplasticity is a wonderful thing, because it allows us to keep learning and developing even as adults. But it can also work against us when we learn unhelpful coping mechanisms and responses.
One such unhelpful mechanism could be none other than chronic pain. That’s right, your brain can actually learn to generate the same painful sensations over time! In fact, the majority of chronic pain syndromes are often a learnt response.
Luckily, just like you can unlearn bad patterns while cultivating new skills and more positive habits, so you can ‘unlearn’ chronic pain by harnessing the power of neuroplasticity. The majority of it, anyway.
Sounds scary, or perhaps unlikely? Let me explain.
Acute vs Chronic Pain are two very different things
First of all, there are two distinct types of painful sensations, both of which are actually filtered by the brain: Acute pain refers to the unpleasant sensations that we might feel if we injure ourselves, or if we fall ill with an infection or virus.
Without the brain’s ability to generate acute symptoms, we risk causing further injury to ourselves. Imagine twisting an ankle while running but feeling no pain at all: the result would be that one would continue running and damage the ankle further, risking severe tears in the ligaments.
And so, acute pain serves as a ‘danger signal’, getting us to stop whatever we are doing and take a rest, or, in the case of acute infections like appendicitis, to seek immediate help that could save our lives.
Chronic pain is usually different, although it is also a danger signal. We refer to pain as becoming chronic when a number of months have elapsed (at least 4 to 6 months) since its onset. In this case, any injury that we might have sustained has had ample time to heal, as imaging and tests will often indicate.
So why does it keep hurting for months or years? The answer often lies in the brain. Chronic pain can become neuroplastic, working as a conditioned response that keeps repeating itself.
Alan Gordon, in his book The Way Out calls this ‘a mistake’:
Things get even more interesting as one starts to dig into potential solutions: the answer as to why the brain will misinterpret these safe signals often lies deep within ourselves, in the interplay of our emotions, memories and expectations that we have formed over time.
This is why we also call it MindBody pain or MindBody Syndrome.
Two scenarios that lead to chronic pain
Chronic mindbody pain may initially start as acute pain and transition into chronic pain.
As the individual reacts with increased caution, trepidation and fear at the first sign of pain, the brain is more likely to ‘remember’ the pain pathways that had been activated. This is because our limbic system, the brain’s emotional region, is highly involved in our perception of pain, so that our pain levels can actually fluctuate depending on how we respond to the sensations.
And so, it is very possible for the brain to generate similar painful sensations in areas which have been previously injured, if the injury had been perceived as scary or threatening.
This is very common with people who have been injured and very concerned about the damage they incurred. Factors like the pressure to get back to work or other responsibilities, or the urgency to resume certain activities, may create additional tension, making the individual prone to giving the symptoms more negative attention.
Chronic pain may also originate from a build up of chronic stress and anxiety in our lives.
When we are under significant tension, or going through a difficult period, the body is more likely to manifest unexplained symptoms, which may include various forms of pain.
Back pain, neck pain, sciatica pain, stomach pain and knee pain are very common symptoms that one might experience when the sympathetic nervous system is being constantly activated. However, such ‘psychosomatic’ symptoms can manifest in a number of ways, including unexplained vertigo, tinnitus, digestive issues, migraines, and nerve pain (the list goes on and on…)
We usually group these symptoms under the term ‘MindBody Syndrome’ when serious medical conditions and injuries have been ruled out.
Such symptoms can be incredibly painful and scary. For this reason, we naturally give them our full attention. This kind of attention is fraught with fear, frustration, disappointment, helplessness and resistance – all of them negative emotions which serve to fire another signal: the signal that these sensations are threatening.
Over time, individuals may cultivate a sense of mistrust in the body, and build the habit of becoming hypervigilant – excessively monitoring their symptoms for signs of improvement or regression. Sadly, these habits serve to strengthen pain pathways..
Given that pain is a danger signal, when we feed our symptoms with such negative emotions, the signal is more likely to continue firing.
This is because the brain ‘thinks’ that it’s protecting us from further damage by creating more pain (which in turn, would get us to stop doing whatever we’re doing).
Triggers vs ‘real’ causes
And so, as we go along, we accumulate various ‘triggers’. Triggers refer to movements or activities that our brain has learnt to associate with pain. They can include any day to day activities like walking, sitting down, showering and even sleeping!
Because the brain has learnt to interpret such activities as likely to cause pain, it is more likely to fire the pain response every time you engage in such activities or anything that feels similar. Very often, we end up blaming such activities for being the direct cause of our symptoms – when in reality they are simply our triggers.
Triggers are not the real causes. The real cause is normally the association between pain and such activities, which forms an expectation of pain.
Every time we feel symptoms during or after an activity, the association between that activity and pain becomes strengthened. We sometimes refer to this as a neural circuit response, or an established ‘pain pathway’. In a sense, something goes on in the brain that makes the pain response more likely to occur, and the brain gets better at it with time!
Why our reactions and emotions matter
The answer to breaking this cycle lies in the way we respond and react to our symptoms.
If we continue to react to pain in the exact same way, or if we hold on to the belief that we are broken or damaged, then we will continue to fire the above-mentioned danger signal.
And so, for neuroplasticity to work in our favour, we need to work on creating new associations and expectations.
Because our emotional brain is involved in the generation of pain, we also need to work with our emotions in order to change the pain response.
This emotional work takes place on different levels, mainly:
- The thoughts, expectations and feelings we generate before we experience the symptoms;
- The feelings we generate when we experience the symptoms (the most common ones being fear, frustration, anxiety and disappointment)
- The emotions we are feeling on a daily basis, including those that have nothing to do with our pain.
Learning about MindBody Syndrome can be the answer
Many people don’t consider psychological factors when it comes to chronic pain. But when the pain hasn’t resolved despite conventional treatment, then it might be time to reconsider.
Most individuals (including myself) come across the MindBody Syndrome (also known as TMS – Tension Myoneural Syndrome) when they’ve exhausted several other treatment options.
Just like Dr John Sarno, the doctor who pioneered this work, they realize that treating the symptoms in isolation is not having any long-term effect, and are fed up of engaging in avoidance behaviours that limit them from living the life they want to lead. This can involve avoiding exercise, certain movements or becoming highly dependent on specific ergonomic solutions to keep flare-ups at bay.
The MindBody Syndrome approach aims at complete pain recovery, and not at pain management. It does this by harnessing the power of neuroplasticity, teaching individuals to get aware of the negative emotions they are generating towards symptoms (and in life in general!), and helping them re-interpret symptoms as less threatening.
The work involves techniques like self-talk, journaling, specific meditations and visualization. All of these techniques serve to re-introduce different expectations and beliefs about symptoms, and eventually will lower the level of resistance (strong negative emotions) that the individual feels towards such sensations.
As a result, the brain will stop interpreting symptoms as threatening and the danger signal will eventually switch off.
Thousands of people are working with the MindBody Syndrome approach to chronic pain these days. Thanks to our brain’s wonderful plasticity, one can unlearn chronic pain even though it may have persisted for years.
All it takes is some patience and trust in the process, until the brain actually starts to receive a different message: that your pain is simply an ‘overreaction’, and not the scary enemy you may have deemed it to be thus far.
Help yourself and others overcome chronic pain!
If the above has sparked your interest, you might be interested in studying to become a certified MindBody Syndrome Practitioner. Our MindBody Syndrome (TMS) Practitioner course is meant for any individual who is interested in working with the mindbody connection as the primary vehicle for chronic pain recovery.
The course is ideal for both existing practitioners who encounter individuals with chronic pain as part of their work, as well as for new coaches looking to specialize in this growing niche.
If you have chronic pain or symptoms, you will also likely experience the benefits of the approach as you study. Several of our students have healed or experienced immense relief from multiple ailments as they followed the course. And if they’ve done it, then so can you!
References:
- Alan Gordon & Alon Ziv, The Way Out: The Revolutionary, Scientifically-Proven Approach to Heal Chronic Pain, Vermillion (2021).
- Dr. John E. Sarno, The MindBody Prescription: Healing the Body, Healing the Pain, Grand Central Publishing, 1998.
- Lorimer Mosely, ‘Tame the Beast – It’s time to rethink persistent Pain’, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikUzvSph7Z4
- ‘Neuroplasticity’, Pain Health, 2021.
Featured image by Andrew Tanglao on Unsplash.
Author:
Miriam Gauci Bongiovanni
Miriam is a MindBody Practitioner and Coach specialized in the field of Chronic Pain Healing. She is also the author of the MindBody Syndrome Practitioner Certification Course at the Institute. After having suffered from a range of chronic symptoms, in 2016 she came across the MindBody Syndrome/TMS approach to healing, and made a swift recovery by tapping into the mindbody connection, mindfulness meditation and neuroplasticity. Her inspiring recovery led her to pursue her MindBody Practitioner certification and to seek more knowledge in the field of Neuroscience and Pain Science. Since 2019, she has been coaching people on how to overcome chronic pain through emotional work and brain rewiring techniques.
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