Pain Reprocessing Therapy
You've spent enough time trying to explain your pain. You deserve a space where you don't have to.
Living with chronic pain is exhausting. You've probably tried more treatments than you can count, spent countless hours in doctors' offices, and maybe even been told that everything looks "normal" when you know something doesn't feel right.
If that's been your experience, I want you to know something: I believe you.
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) offers a different way of understanding and responding to certain types of chronic pain. Rather than focusing solely on what's happening in your body, we explore how your brain and nervous system may be contributing to your experience of pain.
And the encouraging part? The nervous system is capable of learning new patterns.
What Is Pain Reprocessing Therapy?
Pain Reprocessing Therapy is an evidence-informed approach that helps people understand and change the way their brain interprets pain signals.
Here's something that might surprise you: Pain doesn't always mean your body is being damaged.
Sometimes, the nervous system becomes so good at protecting us that it continues sending danger signals even when there is no ongoing injury or tissue damage to explain the pain.
This is sometimes called neuroplastic or nociplastic pain.
The pain is absolutely real. It's not imagined, exaggerated, or something you're choosing to experience. But when pain is being maintained by learned nervous system pathways, those pathways may also be capable of changing.
PRT helps you begin to respond to those sensations with curiosity and safety rather than fear, allowing your brain to gradually learn that certain sensations don't necessarily signal danger.
How Does Pain Reprocessing Therapy Work?
When you've been living with pain for a long time, it's natural to become hyperaware of your symptoms. You might find yourself constantly checking how you feel, worrying about what could make things worse, or avoiding activities because you're afraid of triggering another flare.
Over time, the brain can learn to associate certain movements, sensations, or situations with danger, even when those experiences aren't causing physical harm. This can contribute to a cycle where fear and pain continue to reinforce one another.
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) helps you begin changing that relationship.
Through education, somatic tracking, and other evidence-based techniques, we'll work on understanding how your nervous system responds to pain, reducing fear around physical sensations, and helping your brain begin interpreting safe sensations differently.
The goal isn't to ignore your pain, push through genuine physical limitations, or convince yourself that nothing is wrong. It's to help your nervous system respond differently when pain is being generated or amplified by learned danger signals.
Could Pain Reprocessing Therapy Help Me?
Maybe you've spent years searching for answers. You've tried medications, physical therapy, procedures, or countless appointments, but you're still dealing with pain that seems to have a mind of its own.
Or maybe you've noticed that your symptoms seem to change depending on stress, certain situations, or how much attention you're paying to them.
PRT may be helpful for people experiencing certain forms of persistent pain, particularly when the nervous system has learned to produce pain in the absence of ongoing tissue damage or when pain has become disproportionate to an underlying physical condition.
Some common presentations that may involve these processes include:
Chronic back or neck pain
Certain types of chronic headaches
Fibromyalgia and widespread pain
Some forms of persistent musculoskeletal pain
Other chronic pain experiences where learned neural pathways may be contributing to symptoms
Not every type of chronic pain is appropriate for PRT, and having a medical diagnosis doesn't automatically mean your symptoms are neuroplastic. We'll consider your medical history, symptoms, and experiences to determine whether this approach may be a good fit, alongside appropriate medical care.
What Can I Expect From Pain Reprocessing Therapy?
We won't start by asking you to ignore your pain or suddenly do all the things you've been avoiding.
Instead, we'll spend time understanding your experience with pain, how your symptoms developed, what you've already tried, and how pain has affected your everyday life.
When PRT is an appropriate fit, our work may include learning about the neuroscience of pain, practicing somatic tracking, exploring fear and avoidance patterns, and gradually developing a different relationship with physical sensations.
We'll also make space for the emotional experiences that often come with chronic pain, including frustration, grief, anxiety, and the exhaustion of trying so hard to feel better.
My approach is collaborative, compassionate, and individualized. We'll work at a pace that makes sense for you, without pressure to force progress or minimize what you've been through.
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Absolutely not. Pain is a real physical experience, regardless of what is causing it. PRT explores how the brain and nervous system can generate or amplify pain, even when there isn't ongoing tissue damage explaining the symptoms. Understanding that process doesn't make your experience any less real.
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Yes! Having a medical diagnosis doesn't necessarily mean Pain Reprocessing Therapy isn't an option for you. Research shows that pain can have multiple contributing factors, including changes in how the brain and nervous system process pain signals.
Even when there's an underlying medical condition, neuroplastic processes may contribute to how pain is experienced and maintained. PRT may help address those processes while you continue receiving appropriate medical care for your condition.
The goal isn't to dismiss your diagnosis or suggest your symptoms aren't real. It's to explore whether your nervous system may be playing a role in your pain and whether PRT could help you find relief.
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While traditional therapy often focuses on emotions, relationships, and coping skills, PRT specifically targets the brain's learned responses to pain. It incorporates pain neuroscience education, somatic tracking, and techniques designed to reduce fear around safe physical sensations.
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PRT is often a relatively short-term approach. In clinical research, treatment has included eight sessions delivered over approximately four weeks.
However, changing patterns your nervous system has learned over months or years takes practice. When you've spent a long time responding to pain with fear, avoidance, or constant monitoring, learning to approach those sensations differently can take time.
Much of this work happens outside of therapy as you begin practicing new responses, approaching safe sensations with curiosity, and gradually building confidence in your body.
Everyone's experience is different, and we'll work together at a pace that feels manageable for you.
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Yes! Pain Reprocessing Therapy is a promising, evidence-informed approach supported by growing research.
In a 2022 randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers studied adults with primary chronic back pain. After treatment, 66% of participants receiving PRT reported being pain-free or nearly pain-free, compared with 20% receiving a placebo treatment and 10% receiving usual care.
Follow-up research has also found that some participants maintained meaningful improvements years later.
What makes this research so exciting is that it highlights the brain's ability to change how it processes pain. It offers a hopeful new perspective on chronic pain and the possibility of creating lasting changes in the way we experience it.
Research: Ashar et al. (2022), JAMA Psychiatry
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Yes! I offer in-person therapy in Fort Collins and secure telehealth sessions for clients located throughout Colorado.
A Different Relationship With Pain Is Possible
When you've been living with pain for so long, it's understandable to feel skeptical that anything could actually make a difference. Especially if you've already tried what feels like everything.
You don't need to have all the answers before reaching out.
If you're curious about whether Pain Reprocessing Therapy might be a good fit for you, I'd love to connect. I offer a free 15-minute consultation where we can talk about your experiences, answer your questions, and explore what working together might look like.