Acute pain is commonly produced by the brain in response to damage in the body, but chronic symptoms are often due to persistent, overly protective neural circuits in the brain that can amplify, perpetuate, or even cause pain, and they are not closely linked to damage in the body. Over time, these circuits get repeated, sensitized, and, through a process called “classical conditioning” (thank you, Ivan Pavlov), can be associated with triggers. These neuroplastic pathways can be DE-sensitized and RE-processed in the brain and frequently even cured (not just “managed” or coped with).

The following groups have done amazing work compiling evidence and resources for both patients and practitioners, and provide further direction on how to understand and recover from these conditions.