Pain Reprocessing Therapy: Purpose, Techniques, and Benefits

What Is Pain Reprocessing Therapy?

Pain reprocessing therapy is the psychological approach for the management of chronic pain by retraining the brain. Chronic pain affects the brain as much as it causes the body. Chronic pain tends to change the brain's structure by strengthening its neural pathways. This makes the brain sense centralized or primary pain. Conditions of the body do not cause this type of pain; changes in the neural pathways cause it. Here comes the role of neuroplastic treatments like pain reprocessing therapy. Pain reprocessing therapy helps to break the chronic pain cycle by rewiring the brain signals to the body. Chronic neck, and back pain, recurring headaches, knees, and fibromyalgia are sometimes the psychophysiological cause. On physical examination, there will be no structural changes; these are described as neuroplastic pain and can be treated using pain reprocessing therapy.

What Is the Purpose of Pain Reprocessing Therapy?

• Neuroplastic pain refers to chronic pain with no structural or physical changes. Neuroplasticity is considered an alarm by the brain to protect a person from illness. In chronic pain, neuroplasticity is considered a false alarm.

• Pain reprocessing therapy works by the following, when some injury occurs, the body sends a warning signal to the brain as there may be tissue damage. In turn, the brain responds and sends out a pain signal to protect the body from damage. The pain signal quickly alerts the body from further damage and undergoes corrective measures.

• But if the pain is neuroplastic, the brain makes the mistake of sending the wrong signals to the body. In most people, the neuroplastic type of chronic pain may be derived from past trauma or injury but healed at present. This type of pain a person feels is real, but the problem is due to the brain sending wrong signals that are misinterpreted by the body.

• As time goes on, the body learns the associations of pain. The area of pain becomes hypersensitive to physical activities, specific movements, stress, touch, and even temperature.

• The main purpose of pain reprocessing therapy is that it is aimed at changing the brain's reaction to chronic pain triggers. So the brain will unlearn the associated chronic pain and break its triggers; only then can a person do physical activities without pain.

What Are the Techniques of Pain Reprocessing Therapy?

In most cases, somatic tracking is used to treat chronic pain through pain reprocessing therapy. Somatic tracking combines mindfulness, safety reassurance, and a positive attitude. Putting somatic tracking into practice during activities or movements that cause chronic pain helps to break the psychological attachment between the brain and the action that cause pain, that result in the elimination of pain.

Key features of somatic tracking:

• Mindfulness - Mindfulness is nothing but the person's observation of pain and making up a mind not to get anxious or fearful by the pain as it is not caused by any of the physical or structural damage.

• Safety Assurance - Reassuring by observing that the body is not in danger and it is a false alarm sent by the brain so the body is safe.

• Positive Attitude - Always have a positive attitude that the pain will disappear while working on retraining the brain. To achieve this, the person can concentrate on reading more true stories on pain reprocessing therapy, and the person also should analyze that stress, anxiety, and frustration will worsen and prolong the pain.

Pain reprocessing therapy includes the following steps:

1. First, the therapists educate the patients about the pain-to-fear cycle as if their pain triggers their fear; in turn, the fear triggers more and prolonged pain.

2. Next, the therapist will help the patient to understand that their chronic pain is not caused by any physical or structural damage to their body.

3. Next, the therapists lead their patients to perform exercises that change their perception of pain and break the pain fear cycle.

4. Next, the therapists will help the patients face other threats more confidently.

5. Lastly, the therapists encouraged the patients to use their positive thinking power and inbuilt a positive mindset.

In addition to the somatic tracking technique, pain reprocessing therapy also includes relaxation activities like meditation, yoga, and muscle relaxation. Identifying and avoiding stress-causing factors can increase the effectiveness of pain reprocessing therapy.

What Are the Benefits of Pain Reprocessing Therapy?

The benefits of pain reprocessing therapy include:

• Elimination of Persistent Pain - The main benefit of pain reprocessing therapy is that it helps a person overcome their chronic pain. This, in turn, helps to improve their overall quality of life and health.

• Learning the Person's Own Capabilities and About Themselves - Pain reprocessing therapy teaches a person how powerful they are than they think of themselves. Simply by reframing their perspective about their pain and experience, they can learn that getting rid of physical discomfort is possible. For example, if the person who undergoes pain reprocessing therapy has a fear of heights, they may gain the confidence to tackle the same fear after the therapy.

• Gaining Thoughts to Look at Life Healthier - After getting relief from chronic pain, the patient's way of looking at their life changes. After the therapy and relieving pain, the person positively sees the world.

What Should a Person Do if They Are Dealing With Chronic Pain?

• Stay Positive - Chronic pain can make a person depressed and frustrated and lose control over many things that happens in their life. So the person should consciously try to stay positive, which can eliminate their anxiety and stress and help them feel physically active.

• Exercise - Some researchers believe that exercises relieve pain by releasing endorphins (natural painkillers). Even though the person with chronic pain cannot concentrate on exercises, doing yoga, stretching, and walking can help them better to relieve their pain.

• Being Socially Active - Chronic pain can make the isolated from the surroundings. Spending more time with people helps them eliminate negative thoughts and become stronger when facing chronic pain.

Conclusion

Therapists play a vital role in patients with neuroplastic pain. Pain reprocessing therapy is beneficial in many ways for a person with chronic pain. So reaching out to the therapist will be the best treatment of choice. Pain reprocessing therapy has the potential to transform the lives of countless individuals, offering them renewed hope and the opportunity to reclaim their lives from the grip of chronic pain.