How To Heal Chronic Pain

✨ All pain is real, but not all pain is structurally caused. Pain is never imagined or “in your head”. It’s always real and always physically felt. ✨ However, You can have very real physically felt pain or symptoms in the body where there is NO tissue damage, disease process, or underlying condition! This is what we call neuroplastic pain or Mindbody symptoms, also coined as TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) coined by the late great Dr. John Sarno. The pain in the body is real, but it’s created by the brain and nervous system creating a danger signal via neural circuits to protect us from psychological or emotional threats. ✨ “Hurt does not always equal Harm” - Dr. Howard Schubiner ✨ Fortunately, when we have ruled out structural causes for pain and seemingly we are left with no answers, Mindbody Medicine provides the real solution for healing most chronic pain and symptoms. ✨ If the brain can turn it on, the brain can turn it off. ✨ Healing is possible! #painscience #selfcompassion #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #neuroplastic #chronicpain #traumahealing #tensionmyositissyndrome #painscience #nervoussystemregulation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatic #anxiety #psychophysiologicdisorder #nervoussystem #chronicillness #mindbodyconnection #holistic #selfhealing #tms #drsarno #fibromyalgia #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #neuroplasticpain #healingjourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ Your friendly reminder that Mindbody healing is not linear, the pain may test you, and you can continue to trust the process because this CAN absolutely work for you! I’m happy to show you the evidence 😜🥳🙏💕✨ #painscience #selfcompassion #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #neuroplastic #chronicpain #traumahealing #tensionmyositissyndrome #painscience #nervoussystemregulation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatic #anxiety #psychophysiologicdisorder #nervoussystem #chronicillness #mindbodyconnection #holistic #selfhealing #tms #drsarno #fibromyalgia #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #neuroplasticpain #healingjourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ MINDBODY MINGLE: Symptoms Don’t Have to be Chronic! ✨ In today’s episode of Mindbody Mingle Scotty @howtohealchronicpain and Jeannie @jeanniekulwincoaching talk about chronic symptoms rooted in nervous system dysregulation, also known as Neuroplastic Pain, Mindbody symptoms, and Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS). ✨ 90% of chronic symptoms are classified as neuroplastic in nature, and have no underlying medical or structural cause. ✨ We are talking about all musculoskeletal pain in the back, hip, shoulder, pelvis, wrist, knee, elbow, hand, neck, foot, etc, IBS, headaches, fibromyalgia, anxiety, depression, fatigue, “post” viral symptoms, tinnitus, dizziness, POTS, MCAS, allodynia, CRPS, certain skin conditions, food sensitivities, intrusive thoughts, pelvic floor dysfunction, pudendal neuralgia, vulvodynia, interstitial cystitis, PGAD, and more! ✨ Just because your symptoms may be chronic does not mean they are permanent! ✨ We are here to dispel the false notion our society has sold us to believe that all chronic symptoms have a biomedical cause. ✨ Mindbody healing IS scientific and legitimately evidence-based via countless research studies in pain neuroscience. ✨ This means there is hope, and that just because your symptoms may be chronic does not mean they cannot be unlearned by adopting a biopsychosocial solution. 🔗 Link in bio for more! #painscience #selfcompassion #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #neuroplastic #chronicpain #traumahealing #tensionmyositissyndrome #painscience #nervoussystemregulation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatic #anxiety #psychophysiologicdisorder #nervoussystem #chronicillness #mindbodyconnection #holistic #selfhealing #tms #drsarno #fibromyalgia #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #neuroplasticpain #healingjourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ A clip from my conversation with Tanner Murtagh from Pain Psychotherapy Canada @painpsychotherapy discussing healing neuroplastic pain and symptoms. ✨ In this interview, I share my chronic pain recovery story, and some of the helpful tools I have utilized on my own self healing journey as well as with my clients. 🔗 Link in bio to watch full YouTube Video #painscience #selfcompassion #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #selflove #chronicpain #bodymind #tensionmyositissyndrome #painscience #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdisorder #nervoussystem #health #mindbodyconnection #holistic #healing #tms #drsarno #somaticexperiencing #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #neuroplasticpain #HealingJourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ A clip from my conversation with Tanner Murtagh from Pain Psychotherapy Canada @painpsychotherapy discussing healing neuroplastic pain and symptoms. ✨ In this interview, I share my chronic pain recovery story, and some of the helpful tools I have utilized on my own self healing journey as well as with my clients. 🔗 Link in bio to watch full YouTube Video #painscience #selfcompassion #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #selflove #chronicpain #bodymind #tensionmyositissyndrome #painscience #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdisorder #nervoussystem #health #mindbodyconnection #holistic #healing #tms #drsarno #somaticexperiencing #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #neuroplasticpain #HealingJourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ A clip from my conversation with Tanner Murtagh from Pain Psychotherapy Canada @painpsychotherapy discussing healing neuroplastic pain and symptoms. ✨ In this interview, I share my chronic pain recovery story, and some of the helpful tools I have utilized on my own self healing journey as well as with my clients. 🔗 Link in bio to watch full YouTube Video #painscience #selfcompassion #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #selflove #chronicpain #bodymind #tensionmyositissyndrome #painscience #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdisorder #nervoussystem #health #mindbodyconnection #holistic #healing #tms #drsarno #somaticexperiencing #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #neuroplasticpain #HealingJourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ A clip from my conversation with Tanner Murtagh from Pain Psychotherapy Canada @painpsychotherapy discussing healing neuroplastic pain and symptoms. ✨ In this interview, I share my chronic pain recovery story, and some of the helpful tools I have utilized on my own self healing journey as well as with my clients. 🔗 Link in bio to watch full YouTube Video #painscience #selfcompassion #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #selflove #chronicpain #bodymind #tensionmyositissyndrome #painscience #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdisorder #nervoussystem #health #mindbodyconnection #holistic #healing #tms #drsarno #somaticexperiencing #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #neuroplasticpain #HealingJourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ Today, I bike with no pain. Years ago, I had been told by my primary care doctor, that biking may have been contributing to my chronic back pain. I didn’t bike for YEARS. My life became limited, and the beliefs about my “broken body” created a nocebo of increased pain and an even more limiting life. I thought I would never bike again. Even sitting in a car was painful. ✨ Learning about the Mindbody connection, TMS, & neuroplastic pain, is how I rid myself of this horrific psychophysiological experience and hopeless existence. I learned that pain can be a mistake from the brain (not imagined or fake), & that for so many it is NOT because of a a structural cause. ✨ Through graded exposure, and of course all the many pain reprocessing tools I learned along the way, I was able to rewire my brain and break the faulty beliefs and conditioning that my body wasn’t capable of moving freely, exercising vigorously, or being put in any shape. How could biking have caused so much of that pain I was experiencing?! Clearly, the structural argument had no foundation of truth, logic, or science to it, and was a misinformed cultural norm and societal meme, which speaks to the epidemic of fear that chronic pain really is! ✨ So now, I bike whenever I want. I move my body for general health, because physical health is an important component of holistic health. But I certainly don’t bike or DO anything to “fix” pain. I bike because I want to, and I know that exercise is good for me in terms of stress reduction and nervous system regulation. If you are struggling with neuroplastic pain, this is possible for you. You can rewire your brain and unlearn your pain. ✨ DM for 1-1 Mindbody Coaching and book a FREE 30-min Discovery Call ✨ #painscience #selflove #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #mindbodyspirit #chronicpain #mindbodysoul #tensionmyositissyndrome #holistichealth #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysio

✨ Mindbody Mingle: Outcome Independence ✨ In today’s episode, Scotty @howtohealchronicpain and Jeannie @jeanniekulwincoaching discuss what Outcome Independence is with respect to Mindbody healing for neuroplastic pain or symptoms. ✨ Outcome independence is taking a stance of indifference. The nervous system is always listening and assessing “am I safe or am I unsafe?” If we are authentically engaged in the activities of our lives regardless of the outcome or desire of not wanting the pain, it communicates to the nervous system that we are safe enough to do what we need to do regardless of if the pain is there or not. ✨ Paradoxically, the more we train our brain to accept and embrace the pain and symptoms as information that we don’t need to push away with fear, the more we actively lower the fear - fight or flight response. When the nervous system is met with a high dose of safety, the pain signals literally stop firing, because we know that this tension in the body is a result of stress and threat physiology. ✨ Please feel free to leave a question if you didn’t get your question answered or send a DM and we can chat more privately. ✨ Sending you heaps of peace and ease. #painscience #selfcompassion #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #neuroplastic #chronicpain #traumahealing #tensionmyositissyndrome #painscience #nervoussystemregulation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatic #anxiety #psychophysiologicdisorder #nervoussystem #chronicillness #mindbodyconnection #holistic #selfhealing #tms #drsarno #fibromyalgia #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #neuroplasticpain #healingjourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ Feel it to heal it! ✨ When healing neuroplastic pain, chronic and learned pain of over 6 months, a useful exercise to retrain the brain to unlearn the pain is called Somatic Tracking. ✨ This body-based somatic bottom-up approach is a way to integrate bodily sensations as safe to the nervous system. Sit with sensations and allow them to speak. Feeling into the pain from a place of safety will rewire the brain to lower the threat response, and the pain will release in time. ✨ When you accept the sensations in the body for what they are, they are no longer read by the brain and nervous system as dangerous. When the fear is reduced, the body moves from fight or flight to rest and repair, where healing occurs and pain signals decrease. So using your mind to observe sensations felt in the body with curiosity is the goal. ✨ There are many approaches to bottom-up, or body based and somatic feeling exercises, but this would be the best at working directly with a symptom. ✨ The caveat is, if going into feeling the pain amplifies the fear then we want to try different exercises. The goal is to have a corrective experience when somatic tracking, which means to condition the mind to the sensations happening in the body as “ok”, because you ARE ok and there is nothing structurally wrong. When the brain and nervous system understand on a visceral level that the pain is a psychological defence from repressed emotions, the pain no longer serves a purpose and will being to dissipate. #painscience #selflove #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #mindbodyspirit #chronicpain #mindbodysoul #tensionmyositissyndrome #holistichealth #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdisorders #nervoussystem #parasympathetic #mindbodyconnection #holistic #healing #tms #drsarno #somaticexperiencing #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #stressillness #healingjourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ Ever wondered why sometimes pain persists long after an injury has healed? This is because PAIN CAN BE MEMORIZED by the brain and the nervous system! ✨ When we have an injury, we generally experience pain as a way to protect ourselves from further damaging that area. Injuries heal within 6-12 weeks. That said, based on what we know via neuroscience, a pain neural pathway can become grooved and feel stuck, after the injury has surpassed its healing time. This is what we call chronic - or neuroplastic pain. Pain becomes a habit and an ingrained neural pathway. We know that neurons that fire together wire together! ✨ The brain can make a “mistake” and continue to send us a danger signal in the previously injured site. This is evidenced by the existence of phantom limb pain. We also perpetuate misinformed societal beliefs like “I have a bad back, knee etc”. Don’t settle for this! ✨ Taking a Mindbody approach to healing this stuck pain pathway is the best way in addressing the actual cause, because as we know, after 3 months an injury has healed. If doing physiotherapy on the body isn’t getting you out of pain and your pain has lasted longer than 3 months, there is a reason - the pain is NOT coming from the tissues of your body. ✨ The good news is, when we realize that we can unlearn pain using a Mindbody approach, we no longer need to waste time with all of the physical modalities that no longer serving us. Healing comes from within. It takes time and work to change these stuck neuropathways but it can be done! I am proof, just like so many who have healed their physical pain by doing this work. ✨ DM me for a Free 30-min discovery call to see how I can help you get results and rewire your brain out of pain for good. #painscience #selflove #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #mindbodyspirit #chronicpain #mindbodysoul #tensionmyositissyndrome #holistichealth #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychoph

✨ E-motions are Energy-in-Motion! ✨ This energy can become stuck which then gets stored in the body. Remember, physical pain is not always an indication of tissue damage. Pain can be a result of emotional repression, hyper vigilance and anxiety around sensations, and a disregulated nervous system. Sometimes the smoke alarm goes off when there is no fire. We simply want to calm the brain to lower the pain signals. ✨ Pain is ALWAYS a physical and emotional experience. Emotional pain is processed in the exact same region of the brain as physical pain. ALL PAIN IS REAL. ✨ How do you release your emotions & allow them to move through you? Listen to your internal state & watch emotions to speak somatically with an attitude of safety. Remind yourself that you are safe & not physically damaged. Observe the symptoms with a sense of ease, curiosity, or even playfulness. Let go of the outcome of being pain free and lower the intensity. ✨ When we teach the brain and nervous system that we are safe with emotions and safe with sensations in the body, we can self regulate & move from a state of fight or flight to rest and repair. Chronic neuroplastic pain symptoms will dissolve when the bodymind enters rest and digest. If we feel safe with sensations and safe with emotions, then pain no longer works as a distraction from that we feel in psychological conflict with, whether it be conscious or unconscious. ✨ The goal isn’t to be pain free. It is to find safety in the nervous system. Becoming pain free is simply a side effect. If so many other people including myself could do this, so can you! Why? Because we are all human beings that share the same innate ability to heal. Not a single one of us is exempt from the human condition. #painscience #selflove #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #mindbodyspirit #chronicpain #mindbodysoul #tensionmyositissyndrome #holistichealth #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdi

✨ Pain is a message. Pain is a danger signal attempting to alert us that something is amiss. It is created by the brain’s perception of needing protection from either physical or emotional threats. ✨ We can often live in the shadows of our stored traumas, where needing to hide our authentic selves is perceived as imperative to our survival. For some people, living their truth can feel dangerous. ✨ This sort of psychological impact can wreak havoc on the nervous system and cause real physical symptoms in the body. Sever symptoms! Pain is never imagined, it is always real. ✨ Voicing the needs of your true self can be a major factor in overcoming neuroplastic pain. #painscience #selflove #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #mindbodyspirit #chronicpain #mindbodysoul #tensionmyositissyndrome #holistichealth #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdisorders #nervoussystem #parasympathetic #mindbodyconnection #holistic #healing #tms #drsarno #somaticexperiencing #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #stressillness #healingjourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ Emotions are Somatic ✨ Emotions by definition are a somatic experience, and always felt in the body. When we shove down our difficult feelings, the body will somatically express what it is repressng via symptoms, whether we are aware of it or not. #painscience #selflove #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #mindbodyspirit #chronicpain #mindbodysoul #tensionmyositissyndrome #holistichealth #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdisorders #nervoussystem #parasympathetic #mindbodyconnection #holistic #healing #tms #drsarno #somaticexperiencing #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #stressillness #healingjourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ PEOPLE PLEASING & FAWNING ✨ ✨ People pleasing & fawning adds to a subconscious reservoir of rage that can present as symptoms in the body. ✨ Being aware of these patterns can help to shed a light on what your symptoms may be communicating to you about how you present yourself in the world. ✨ Symptoms are often a resprestation of distaste for these maladaptive coping behaviours. #painscience #selflove #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #mindbodyspirit #chronicpain #mindbodysoul #tensionmyositissyndrome #holistichealth #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdisorders #nervoussystem #parasympathetic #mindbodyconnection #holistic #healing #tms #drsarno #somaticexperiencing #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #stressillness #healingjourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ Rewire relief from chronic pain! ✨ Neuroscience research tells us that emotions and physical pain are processed in the same part of the brain, and that when fear is present in the mind, it can activate physical pain pathways in the body. When we can lower the spread response in the nervous system, and move towards safety, these pain pathways that are controlled by fear can decrease. ✨ YOU can influence the Pain - Fear Cycle! It’s all made possible through neuroplasticity. ✨ What we focus on grows and expands! ✨ The more and more you decide to change directions and focus on pain-free aka safety pathways (mental reassurance that you are not broken) the more and more you can unlearn physical pain pathways in your body. ✨ This takes practice, patience, self compassion, and repetition. ✨ It can take time to rewire neuroplastic pain, but I assure you it can be done. #painscience #selflove #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #mindbodyspirit #chronicpain #mindbodysoul #tensionmyositissyndrome #holistichealth #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdisorders #nervoussystem #parasympathetic #mindbodyconnection #holistic #healing #tms #drsarno #somaticexperiencing #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #stressillness #healingjourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ What is pain? The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience”. Unfortunately in this day and age our medical model typically only looks at pain as a purely bio medical issue, when we know from neuroscience research that it is ALWAYS a physical AND emotional experience. What does this mean? We need to start looking at all pain through the lens of a bio-psycho-social model. #painscience #selflove #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #mindbodyspirit #chronicpain #mindbodysoul #tensionmyositissyndrome #holistichealth #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdisorders #nervoussystem #parasympathetic #mindbodyconnection #holistic #healing #tms #drsarno #somaticexperiencing #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #stressillness #healingjourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ Regulate to Eliminate ✨ Notice when you are having catastrophic thoughts about your symptoms. When the nervous system is disregulated, so are your thoughts. And when your thoughts are disregulated, it unconsciously turns up the volume in the Pain - Fear Cylce. Most of the thoughts we have are based on subconscious programming and are thoughts we had the previous day. You can break this habit using nervous system regulation. #painscience #selflove #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #mindbodyspirit #chronicpain #mindbodysoul #tensionmyositissyndrome #holistichealth #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdisorders #nervoussystem #parasympathetic #mindbodyconnection #holistic #healing #tms #drsarno #somaticexperiencing #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #stressillness #healingjourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ Emotions are Somatic ✨ Emotions by definition are a somatic experience, and always felt in the body. When we shove down our difficult feelings, the body will somatically express what it is repressng via symptoms, whether we are aware of it or not. #painscience #selflove #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #mindbodyspirit #chronicpain #mindbodysoul #tensionmyositissyndrome #holistichealth #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdisorders #nervoussystem #parasympathetic #mindbodyconnection #holistic #healing #tms #drsarno #somaticexperiencing #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #stressillness #healingjourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief

✨ When your nervous system is disregulated, so are your thoughts. ✨ 95% of the thoughts we have in a day are subconscious, and the majority are programmed thoughts we have had on previous days. ✨ Not everything we think is true, especially when our minds respond with fear of pain, thinking thoughts like “I am broken” or “this will never go away”. ✨ We know from neuroscience research that when we decrease this fear of being broken, we can lower fight or flight and regulate the nervous system, which in time will turn down the volume on neuroplastic pain. ✨ When we don’t buy into unhelpful thoughts, we can regulate the nervous system. #painscience #selflove #mindfulness #mindbody #mindbodymedicine #mindbodyspirit #chronicpain #mindbodysoul #tensionmyositissyndrome #holistichealth #meditation #breathwork #neuroscience #somatictracking #wellness #psychophysiologicdisorders #nervoussystem #parasympathetic #mindbodyconnection #holistic #healing #tms #drsarno #somaticexperiencing #howtohealchronicpain #mindbodysyndrome #stressillness #healingjourney #neuroplasticity #painrelief