I go over how the brain and nervous system (alarm system) can become the main source of chronic pain and chronic health symptoms. If you need help in overcoming your own chronic symptoms reach out by filling out a consultation request.
When we avoid things out of fear of pain and physical symptoms we get worse and we do less of that behavior. We need to break this and I go over the research that supports this. Reach out if you need help moving forward in your recovery. You can find me at Chronic Pain Home […]
In this video I talk about fear and how it can keep you stuck or push you further away from getting back to a full life. Many people with chronic pain and chronic health issues can get caught in a fear loop where the do less because of fear and subsequent symptoms. This loop will […]
Made an appearance on the “Our Power is Within” podcast with Chazmith Newton talking about the mind and how it affects the body with chronic pain and what we call PPD (PsychoPhysiologic Disorders) She brings some great content around healing and the mind so check her out. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/our-power-is-within/id1530264924?i=1000527982091
Anyone wondering about knee or hip arthritis and it’s relationship to the mind vs. the body- Here I go over a recent May 2021 study which (authors quote): “confirms that limitations and pain from osteoarthritis of the hip and knee are more closely related to personal and psychological factors than to pathological and anatomical factors […]
Stumbled upon this 2020 study that really brings the mind-body connection into focus on many levels. These researchers took fMRI scans of the brain while inflicting a painful stimulus to the arm and at the same time creating scenarios of interpersonal rejection or acceptance through a game that either included or excluded participants. What the […]
With COVID, there has naturally been an elevated sense of stress and fear for many. Those who have had a history of PTSD already have been shown to have a high rates of physical somatic symptoms. This 2021 study highlights how COVID and a sense of threat from COVID were significantly related to multiple somatic […]
Interesting study that supports what I see in many people with chronic somatic complaints. What this study showed was what we already know: potentially traumatic events can lead to post-traumatic stress symptoms which can lead to somatic complaints in the body. Then when people start to pain catastrophize (excessive negative worry) it just adds fuel […]
Another reminder that sympathetic fight of flight nervous system is at the heart of chronic musculoskeletal pain like we see in fibromyalgia. This is study found “the higher the sympathetic drive to the heart and vessels, the higher the magnitude of chronic pain.” The primary focus of healing should be getting one’s nervous system moving […]
A lot of the people I work with have an increased tendency to worry, whether it’s about their symptoms or about things in life. Worry by itself can cause more somatic symptoms. I’ve linked a study below showing that. Worrying increases stress chemicals in the body from the brain that will make you feel worse […]
