Living with chronic pain can be incredibly challenging, impacting every aspect of daily life. As my fascination for health and healing is growing, so is my belief in having a holistic approach to health-related topics, chronic pain being one of them that caught my attention as I saw a friend healing her long-term symptoms. Where conventional methods and attempts to cure chronic pain or even alleviate the symptoms failed, I have seen my friend get massive relief from working with a neuroscience-based and evidence-backed app (Curable Health). I believe this is a must-read for anyone interested in curing chronic pain holistically, without the use of medicine or surgery, but instead by working with the brain, the nervous system, and the body’s own healing skills.
Alternatives to conventional chronic pain treatments
While in Western medicine, surgery and medication have been the conventional treatments for treating chronic pain for a long time, there is a growing interest in and media coverage talking about alternative approaches that focus on the mind-body connection. The knowledge and neuroscience-based strategies can provide relief and improve overall well-being, and in many individuals, it can even be the very last method they will ever use as it has the power to cure chronic pain forever. It is for a reason that the app Curable is not called ‘TREAT-able’: they know the results can last a lifetime.
Understanding TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) or ‘the MindBody syndrome’
TMS, or Tension Myositis Syndrome, is a mind-body disorder intricately linked to chronic pain. It means that this pain may be induced by something created in the brain instead of an actual physical, structural reason, tissue damage, etc.
TMS – or ‘the stress syndrome’ – is a diagnosis that expects that the brain has created pain signals and sends them to (parts of) the body, even when structural tissue damage is not (or no longer) present. Basically, the brain has created pain pathways that are based on a previous injury, that, even when the injury is long healed, is still present in the patient. Generally, a body heals a physical injury within 6 weeks by itself. When pain is experienced for longer than 6 months, it is called ‘chronic pain’.
How the brain can create chronic pain and can make it worse
The brain creates pain in the first place to warn and protect us, for example to not move and prevent further injury for example. But a hypervigilant brain can sometimes read the cues wrong and read ‘danger’ signs when there is nothing to fear, for example because of unresolved emotions in the past. Luckily, the fact that the brain has learnt all of those things, it also means that it can be unlearnt. And this ‘unlearning the pain’ is what chronic pain treatment and methods directed at ‘TMS pain’ is all about.
The Way Out of long-term chronic pain
The similarly named book ‘Unlearn Your Pain’ by physician Dr. Howard Schubiner educates about how pain works and what to do to reserve unhelpful pain cues. Another great book from another expert on chronic pain is called ‘The Way Out: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Heal Chronic Pain’.
Alan Gordon, psychotherapist and founder of the Pain Psychology Center in Los Angeles, explains that the brain has the capacity and intelligence to create, maintain, and worsen chronic pain, even when there is no reason for it.
The ‘plastic’ organ: the brain
Our brain is such a clever organ and can learn many, many things. It is also not a flawless organ and can therefore also misread situations, often by having had confusing signals and teachings in the past. As a result, it can create unhelpful connections and ‘make’ pain, all by itself.
Actually, the fear of pain alone can be the reason to experience physical pain symptoms. This can happen when the brain has started to expect pain to arise, for example when it has connected this to certain activities, places, happenings, and other stressors. These stressors can be physical injuries and accidents, but they can also be psychologically painful situations, suppressed emotions, or unresolved personal issues that can be experienced in the body as physical pain.
Which types of chronic pain can be cured with mind-body techniques?
When speaking of ‘pain’, it could be replaced by ‘symptoms’ or ‘discomforts’. Basically, any symptom lasting for 6+ months with no obvious sign of tissue damage is likely to respond to the mind-body approach. For example: joint pains, muscle pains, nerve pains in back, neck, shoulder, hips, knees, or hands. Headaches, migraines, and fibromyalgia, too, can be cured by using mind-body techniques. Even seemingly less likely discomforts such as bloating, IBS, ME or CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome), and many other diagnoses can improve dramatically if not disappear completely.
Positive ‘side effects’ of curing chronic pain mind-body techniques
On top of curing or bringing relief to all physical symptoms, overall well-being and peace of mind will most probably improve along the way, too. As the methods work on the brain, and through the nervous system, lowering stress levels will have a positive effect on depression and other emotions that are in the way of living a happy, healthy, and emotionally stable life. For some, even that alone, will be enough to see physical symptoms change and improve.
Mind-body techniques & brain training to cure chronic pain
Reading a book, and therefore educating oneself and teaching the brain new understandings and beliefs, is one of several mind-body techniques that enable individuals to better manage and, preferably, overcome their symptoms completely. Based on practices such as meditation, breath work, guided imagery and journaling as an important way to exercise and ‘train’ the brain, individuals can motivate their body's natural healing abilities and change their relationship to their pain or see it disappear.
Educating & understanding the brain for pain relief
Education is one of the ways to relief and preferably cure chronic pain: simply by understanding how pain works and that it may in fact not be due to a physical reason, can and has healed people just by knowing. From the 90s, people have started to reverse and stop their pain by reading books by Dr. John E. Sarno, a renowned expert and possibly the first one in the field. He wasn’t taken too seriously by his peers, as medicine and medical intervention in the way of surgery was the way to go and scans were the go-to tool to decide on a diagnosis.
The pain is ‘in your head’
Today, there is more knowledge and data that points out that the visible presence of a herniated disk (on a scan) doesn’t necessarily mean that this is the root cause of the pain someone is suffering. Many scans are made of pain-free people that had similar or worse situations. And many people who had a hernia and had surgery were not helped by the intervention. There is more and more belief in how the pain is actually not originating in the body, but in the brain. The pain and symptoms are 100% real and present, so they are not imagined, as some think when they hear about TMS and brain-based pain. But as the pain stems from a connection with or made by the brain, the pain may indeed be ‘in your head’.
How to know if your chronic pain is TMS pain?
First, I’d like to point out that I’m not a doctor, neither is my friend. But there are certain indications that can imply that maybe your pain is not actually due to a physical ail, but about a misunderstanding and miscommunication between your brain and your body. Here are some ways you can use to determine if your chronic pain is possibly TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome) or stress-related:
If medical evaluations and tests have failed to identify any structural abnormalities or specific physical causes for your pain, it may be an indication of TMS.
If your pain tends to move around, shifting from one area of the body to another, it suggests a mind-body connection rather than a localized physical issue.
If your pain is accompanied by other mind-body symptoms like anxiety, tension, or gastrointestinal issues (IBS i.e.), it further supports the possibility of TMS.
If your pain is triggered or worsened by emotional stress, it indicates that emotional factors play a significant role in its manifestation.
If your pain responds positively to interventions that address the mind-body connection, such as relaxation techniques, psychotherapy, or stress reduction strategies, it further strengthens the likelihood of TMS as the underlying cause.
*Consulting with a healthcare professional who has deep knowledge in TMS, the Body-Mind connection or Pain Reprocessing Therapy (among other titles) can help you gain a clearer understanding and develop the right treatment plan for you. See the resources section below for more tips to find the right practitioner for you.
Working with a Chronic Pain Coach or TMS practitioner
Apart from working on your own with an app, like my friend did, individuals can also seek professional guidance from TMS practitioners or Pain Reprocessing Therapists (PRT). These specialized professionals have expertise in mind-body approaches to chronic pain and provide structured frameworks to understand and address the emotional factors contributing to pain, and work together with their patient. Often, this means there will be time spent live/ online together with the coach, with the expectation that the client will do homework and exercises throughout their days.
MY FINAL VERDICT:
Living with chronic pain can be overwhelming. Luckily, there are other, holistic, and less intrusive methods to approach pain management outside of medicine and surgery. My opinion is that:
The Curable app (or others of their kind) is a great option for those with time, capacity, and structure to deep-dive into themselves and their emotions, their behaviour, and the relationship to their pain.
Working with a Chronic Pain coach, TMS coach, a MindBody, or Pain Reprocessing Therapy practitioner can be a good way forward for those with less time or difficulty to do it by themselves.
Besides the above, reading about and deeper understand pain may be beneficial regardless of working independently or with a professional.
I really hope that this information finds some people who are on a healing journey, wanting to address the emotional and psychological aspects of pain. That this holistic approach may empower you to take control of your well-being and you will find lasting relief from chronic pain!
*DISCLAIMER:
I have not received any payment or other reward for mentioning anyone, any service, etc. mentioned in this article. It is purely based on the personal experience of my friend, her recommendations, and my own reading into it.
Also, I am not a doctor, physician, or specialist. Although the options are risk-free and are by no means a physical diagnosis, I always recommend to first making sure there is no structural/ tissue damage that is at the cause of your pain. If in doubt or when in treatment/ therapy with a specialist, please always consult your doctor before making any changes.
Resources & further reading:
Useful resources to continue reading/ watching:
all books, articles, and YouTube videos about/ from Dr. Sarno, Dr. Howard Schubiner, and Alan Gordon
documentary film ‘This Might Hurt’ about Pain Reprocessing Therapy
documentary film ‘All the rage’ about Dr. Sarno’s approach
A list of titles and synonyms under which to find more information (in English) and look for practitioners in your area:
Chronic Pain Coaching
The MindBody Syndrome/ Connection/ Coach
The BodyMind Syndrome/ Connection/ Coach
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)
The biopsychosocial approach
Look for translations in your respective language to find info in your country/ language.