How Psychotherapy Can Reduce Chronic Pain

Exploring the relationship between memory, pain, and the brain

Content Warning: The following includes descriptions of physical and emotional pain. Readers are advised not to use any of the techniques in this article without the guidance of a trained mental health professional. This article is not medical advice. If you are in pain, speak with your doctor.

To understand how psychotherapy might be able to help with chronic pain, it’s helpful to understand three things: the relationship between pain and the brain; the relationship between chronic pain and memory; and the relationship between trauma and memory.

The Relationship Between Pain and the Brain

Consider the following two scenarios.

First, imagine being completely absorbed in some physical activity you love: playing a sport, playing a musical instrument, gardening, or cooking, for example. You’re fully “in the zone”, so absorbed in what you’re doing that two hours go by without you even noticing. Only then do you happen to look down at your hand and are surprised to see a cut on your finger. You have no idea when you did it, but a scab has already formed, so it must have happened a while ago.