Can Pain Reprocessing Therapy Help With Conditioned Pain?

Yes, Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) has shown promise in helping with conditioned pain. Conditioned pain refers to chronic pain that persists even in the absence of physical damage or injury, often maintained by learned neural pathways. Pain reprocessing therapy is based on the idea that chronic pain can be the result of the brain misinterpreting signals and continuing to activate pain pathways unnecessarily.

Pain reprocessing therapy aims to retrain the brain to interpret these signals correctly and reduce or eliminate the chronic pain. It combines elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and somatic tracking to help individuals:

1. Recognize that the pain is due to neural pathways, not tissue damage: This reduces the fear and anxiety that can intensify pain.

2. Engage with the pain in a new way: Rather than avoiding or bracing against the pain, patients are encouraged to observe it with curiosity and without fear, helping to break the conditioned response.

3. Recondition the brain’s response to stimuli: Over time, this can help the brain stop misfiring pain signals.

There have been studies, such as one published in JAMA Psychiatry in 2021, showing that pain reprocessing therapy can lead to significant reductions in chronic pain, especially in conditions like chronic back pain where no structural damage explains the pain. By addressing the brain’s role in chronic pain, PRT can help reduce or eliminate pain that has become conditioned.