Chronic pain, explained in one calmer place.
If you have had ongoing pain, normal scans and conflicting information, this hub brings the key ideas together in a grounded, compassionate way.
A calmer way to explore
Start wherever feels most helpful today, and return whenever you are ready for the next part of the journey.
Chronic pain recovery
What does chronic pain recovery mean?
Chronic pain recovery refers to approaches that aim to reduce ongoing pain by changing how the nervous system processes threat and safety, not only managing symptoms.
Many people have persistent back pain, neck pain, or widespread pain even when scans are normal or treatments have been tried. In these cases, recovery often focuses on calming a sensitised nervous system, reducing fear around symptoms, and gradually rebuilding confidence and capacity.
Recovery does not mean ignoring medical care or pushing through pain. It means learning why pain can persist, working safely alongside clinicians, and building skills so the system can settle over time.
Recovery versus symptom management
Both can be useful - they solve different problems.
Symptom management
Useful for stabilising sleep, movement, work and day-to-day function. It often focuses on reducing symptoms in the short term and can help you stay afloat during flare-ups.
Recovery-focused work
Adds something different when pain persists: it aims to reduce overprotection in the nervous system, build confidence, and make flare-ups feel less threatening over time.
Help with chronic back pain
Chronic back pain is one of the most common forms of persistent pain. Many people notice it can flare with stress, poor sleep, worry about damage, or after repeated cycles of rest and pushing. When the nervous system is sensitised, symptoms can stay loud even when scans do not show a clear cause.
If back pain keeps returning, a recovery-focused approach often combines safe movement, reassurance, education, and nervous system regulation, alongside appropriate medical care.
Understanding neuroplastic symptoms
These pages help you make sense of chronic symptoms when they are driven by a sensitive nervous system rather than ongoing damage. They give you language, patterns and examples that many people recognise.
What is chronic pain?
Definitions, timeframes and examples
Why pain can persist when scans are normal
Threat, safety and the nervous system
Signs your symptoms may be neuroplastic
Patterns many people recognise
Flare-ups, patterns and triggers
What many people notice over time
Overlap with other conditions
Fatigue, gut symptoms, headaches and more
Talking about symptoms with clinicians
Questions, language and safety
Mind–body science
Here you dig into how the brain, nerves and body interact. These guides explain threat and safety, prediction, central sensitisation and why stress or trauma can keep real pain switched on.
How the brain and body interact
Signals, processing and pain
Prediction, danger and safety
How the brain guesses threats
Central sensitisation explained
When the system stays on high alert
Stress, trauma and pain
Why history can shape symptoms now
Emotions, beliefs and pain
How feelings influence pain signals
Science FAQs and myths
Common questions answered
Mind–body approaches
Once you understand the ideas, these pages show how they become real practices: somatic approaches, programmes, self-guided tools and ways of integrating this work with your existing medical care.
Overview of mind–body treatment options
Comparing common approaches
Somatic and body-based approaches
Working with the body safely
Education and group programmes
Courses, groups and online options
Working alongside medical care
How this fits with your clinicians
Self-guided tools and practices
Small things you can try yourself
Finding the right practitioner
Questions to ask and what to look for
Recovery stories
Real stories can help when you feel unsure, sceptical, or alone. These are honest journeys, including setbacks and the small turning points that add up.
Put it into practice
When you are ready, working with someone who understands mind–body and neuroplastic approaches can give you structure, reassurance and support. You do not have to figure this out alone.
