Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)

Chronic pain can be debilitating. Whether nociceptive (pain resulting from damage or injury to body tissue) or neuroplastic (pain arising from learned neural pathways), pain hurts. All pain is brain derived. All pain in “in your head.” Pain can be disabling.

 

My involvement with PRT came while attending a conference and taking a workshop in what seemed to be an interesting approach to a serious problem. I was especially intrigued because PRT had remarkable overlap with my work in ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy). Pain is a signal the brain sends to warn of injury. Anxiety is a signal the brain sends to warn of danger. In both cases, the brain can, and does, misfire. Often sending signals that are false flags. Treatment in both instances begins by establishing safety. The recognition that these feelings, although powerful, are not reflective of danger. The goal treatment is to develop the capacity and the commitment to accept and devalue false flags by mindfully engaging in your valued life. PRT is a researched-based therapy. I was certified as a PRT practitioner in 2023. If chronic pain has been a problem you have been suffering with, I will be happy to discuss with you how I might help.