Pain is a universal experience, but it can also be one of the most misunderstood. When someone says the pain is in your head it can feel dismissive, invalidating the very real distress you’re experiencing. The truth is, the pain is not in your head—but it is in your brain. And understanding that distinction could be the key to lasting relief.
What Is Neuroplastic Pain?
Neuroplastic pain arises from changes in the brain’s wiring rather than from ongoing physical damage or injury in the body. In other words, while there may not be an identifiable structural issue causing your discomfort, the pain you feel is very real and created by your brain.
Our brains are designed to protect us. When we experience an injury or trauma, the brain sounds the alarm by producing pain to signal that something is wrong. However, sometimes the brain gets stuck in overdrive.
This hypervigilant state can cause your brain to misinterpret sensations in the body as if they are dangerous, causing pain when nothing is wrong. Or perhaps after a physical injury has healed, the neural pathways that generate pain remain active, creating persistent discomfort. This misinterpretation of danger is the essence of neuroplastic pain.
How the Brain Amplifies (or Reduces) Pain
One of the most fascinating aspects of pain is how much the brain influences it. Every sensation of pain you’ve ever felt—from a stubbed toe to chronic back pain—has been processed and interpreted by your brain. But this also means that the brain can amplify or diminish pain signals based on various factors, such as:
Emotions: Stress, anxiety, or fear can heighten pain perception. For example, if you’re afraid that your pain means something is seriously wrong, your brain may magnify the sensation as a protective mechanism.
Thoughts: Negative beliefs like “This pain will never go away” can reinforce neural pathways associated with pain, making it feel more intense.
Attention: Focusing on pain often makes it worse. On the flip side, distraction or relaxation can reduce its intensity.
Expectations: Believing that something will help—like a treatment or placebo—can activate the brain’s pain-relieving mechanisms.
This means that even when pain has a structural cause, like a herniated disc or arthritis, the brain can amplify it—or, with the right tools, turn down the volume.
Neuroplastic Pain vs. Structural Pain
It’s important to distinguish between neuroplastic and structural pain because the approach to healing them is different. Structural pain comes from a clear physical injury or condition, such as a broken bone or a torn ligament. Treating structural pain often involves addressing the underlying issue with surgery or physical therapy.
Neuroplastic pain, however, persists without ongoing structural damage. It’s driven by the brain’s learned responses and can even occur alongside structural pain, amplifying it. For example, someone might recover from a back injury but continue to feel pain long after the tissues have healed because their brain has “memorized” the pain signals.
The good news? Neuroplastic pain can be unlearned.
Is My Pain Neuroplastic?
Do you suffer from chronic pain? Are you curious to know if your pain can be healed with a mind-body approach? Find out with my Neuroplastic Pain Quiz. Enter your details below and I'll send it straight to your inbox.
With this detailed, 30 question quiz you'll discover if your pain is neuroplastic and therefore, can be healed with a mind-body approach.
Rewiring the Brain for Pain Relief
Because neuroplastic pain is rooted in the brain’s wiring, effective treatment focuses on retraining the brain. Techniques like Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) and mind-body approaches such as hypnotherapy have shown incredible results.
Here’s how they help:
Reassuring the brain: Teaching your brain that your body is safe and there’s no need to produce pain.
Breaking the cycle: Interrupting the neural pathways that perpetuate pain with new, positive patterns.
Fostering calm: Practices like mindfulness, breathing exercises, and visualization reduce stress and help regulate the nervous system, quieting pain signals.
Pain is Not All in Your Head, But it is in Your Brain
It’s crucial to remember that acknowledging the brain’s role in pain doesn’t mean the pain isn’t real. On the contrary, recognizing that all pain is processed in the brain empowers us to take control of our healing. Whether your pain is neuroplastic, structural, or a combination of both, the brain has the remarkable ability to change and heal.
So, is pain all in your head? No. But understanding how the brain creates pain might just be the first step toward freedom from it.
If you struggle with chronic pain and are curious about a mind-body approach to healing, check out my Pain Reprocessing Therapy sessions, or book a Free Consultation to chat with me today.
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