PRT - AN EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT FOR CHRONIC MIND-BODY SYMPTOMS


Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is an evidence-based mind-body approach - Neuroplasticity training - for the treatment of chronic pain & other chronic symptoms like fatigue.

But also other situations that the brain interprets as "DANGER/STRESS" when a chronically unhealthy condition persists for a longer period of time, PRT is ideally suited.

Rooted in neuroscience, PRT aims to retrain neural pathways in the brain to accurately interpret body signals and deactivate pain responses. 


NEUROPLASTIC SYMPTOMS = When the brain makes a mistake !!!

For example: PAIN is a danger signal = internal alarm system (superpower)

But what if the brain makes mistakes?

False alarm are as loud as real ones (learned behaviour)

Neuroplastic symptoms means the primitive part of the brain misinterpets safe signals from the body as if they are dangerous !!!


Why does our brain misinterpret safe/neutral signals als danger?

Sensation (raw physical signal. It has no meaning, no story, no emotion attached to it) 

+ FEAR = pain


Why is it neutral?

Because sensations only become “good” or “bad” when the mind adds:

⚜ a label (“this is dangerous”)
⚜ a memory
⚜ a story
⚜ or a fear prediction

Example:

Neutral sensation: “There is pressure in my chest.”

Non-neutral reaction: “Oh no, that pressure means something is wrong.” → fear → stress response.



Benefits of Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)

PRT helps you reinterpret somatic sensations through a lens of safety rather than danger.
 Based on the work of Dr. Howard Schubiner, this evidence-based approach teaches the brain that pain signals are not always a sign of physical damage, but often a reflection of learned fear and unprocessed emotions.


Through neuroscience-based tools and emotional awareness techniques, PRT helps you:

⚜ Calm the body’s alarm system, so the brain recognizes safety instead of threat.
⚜ Rewire neural pathways to reduce pain perception and deactivate the chronic pain loop.
⚜ Process and release stored emotions that may contribute to physical symptoms.
⚜ Shift self-criticism into self-compassion, reducing the nervous system’s constant alert state.
⚜ Cultivate self-regulation, lowering anxiety and cortisol levels while increasing oxytocin and relaxation.
⚜ Reconnect with the body and rebuild trust in its signals, learning that sensations are safe.

In essence, 

PRT teaches your brain that pain does not equal danger, allowing the nervous system to reset and the body to heal naturally.



Scientific Results of Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)

Clinical research shows that Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) can lead to remarkable improvements for people living with chronic pain.
 In a randomized controlled study conducted at the University of Colorado Boulder and published in JAMA Psychiatry (2021), results showed that:


These findings demonstrate that chronic pain can be “retrained” in the brain when the nervous system learns to interpret bodily sensations through a lens of safety instead of danger.
 By calming the brain’s alarm system and re-wiring neural pathways, PRT helps deactivate pain responses and restore a sense of ease and trust in the body - naturally and sustainably.


Reference:

Ashar, Y. K., Gordon, A., Schubiner, H., Uipi, C., Knight, K., Anderson, Z., … & Wager, T. D. (2021). Effect of Pain Reprocessing Therapy vs Placebo and Usual Care for Patients With Chronic Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 78(11), 1-10.

https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.2669 



For whom or in which situations can PRT help?

Neuroplastic symptoms include CHRONIC CONDITIONS such as pain and exhaustion, 

⚜ fear around chronic pain (pain-fear-cycle)

⚜ belives like: "something is wrong in my body/with me" = brain believe body is damaged -> It reacts with pain and creates a state of heightened alertness. 

⚜ reactions such as frustration, despair, stress, anxiety, restlessness, anger, or dismay all fall under the umbrella term of FEAR !

but also other situations that the brain interprets as "DANGER/STRESS." 

These include:

⚜ depression

⚜ fatigue

⚜ nausea

⚜ self-imposed pressure

⚜ self-criticism

⚜ worry

⚜ perfectionism

⚜ abusive relationships

⚜ unprocessed trauma

⚜ unstable life circumstances

⚜ emotions such as fear, anger, shame, and grief

They also include positive emotions like "joy," 

especially when you have learned not to show excessive joy, or 

not to be too happy because you feel you don't deserve it, or 

when things are going well but there is a fear of losing this state