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Managing Back Pain- a Pain Reprocessing Therapy Approach
".... changed my mindset. I’m dancing, walking more, walking further, and enjoying it because I know I don't need to "push through" the pain"
A Different Perspective
for Creating Change
For a long time, back pain was understood quite simply: something in the body is damaged, and the brain receives the message. We now know it is more sophisticated than that. Pain and other symptoms can be created by the brain as part of its protection system. It draws on information from the body, your previous experiences, what you expect, and how safe or threatened you feel.
Sometimes that protective system becomes over-sensitive. Symptoms remain - even when the original injury has healed, or when there is no longer enough physical damage to explain the level of discomfort. This is where Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) offers a different perspective.
How does PRT work?
If you are struggling with persistent back discomfort, you are not alone. Back discomfort is one of the leading health issues in the UK, affecting over 10 million adults annually. It is a primary cause of disability and accounts for an estimated 31 million lost working days each year across the nation. PRT aims to help people's whose pain has become chronic through increasing understanding and teaching practical exercises to create change.
What if the brain has learned to protect you too well? ....Think about a smoke alarm. Its job is to keep you safe. But if it becomes overly sensitive, it can start sounding when there is only smoke from the toaster. The alarm is real. The noise is real. But there isn't a fire. Persistent pain (and sometimes other symptoms) can work in a similar way. Your brain may have learned that particular sensations, movements or situations are threatening. Over time, it can become increasingly alert to them — producing symptoms as a protective response. PRT helps you understand this process and begin to change it.
PRT helps you move from fear to understanding ... Our systems can become cautious when symptoms have lasted a long time. It is entirely understandable to become cautious. You may do things like: monitor your body, avoid certain movements, worry about making things worse, wonder what the symptom means every time it appears. These are reasonable responses which make sense when your brain believes you are in danger. But they can also keep the brain's alarm system switched on. PRT helps you approach sensations with curiosity rather than fear. That small shift can change the way you experience your body.
PRT takes your pain and other symptoms seriously. It is not imaginary. It is not “all in your head”. And you don't have to think positively to make it disappear or pretend everything is fine. PRT simply offers another explanation for why symptoms can sometimes continue - and another way of responding to it. The aim is not to battle your body. It is to help your brain feel safer.
The process of PRT combines an understanding of modern pain science with practical exercises. Together, we explore how the brain creates pain and neuroplastic symptoms why they can sometimes continue without ongoing tissue damage. We'll recognise the patterns of fear, attention and protection that may be maintaining the cycle. We'll learn to interpret sensations in a way that reduces their sense of threat. We'll gradually rebuild confidence in movement, activity and your body. The process is gentle, collaborative and tailored to you. There is no forcing, pushing through. It's learning that a sensation can be real without being dangerous. And when your brain begins to learn that distinction, there may be more possibilities than you thought.
PRT is grounded in contemporary neuroscience and emerging research into persistent pain. A randomised clinical trial published in JAMA Psychiatry found that people with chronic back pain who received PRT experienced substantially greater reductions in pain than those receiving placebo or usual care. Follow-up research has also found that these differences were maintained five years later.
My usual coaching package is 4 1/2 hours, plus a free assessment phone call. (Please allow 45 minutes for that.) During the first 2 weeks call are , 2 x 45 minutes and a follow up of 15 minutes 2 - 4 days later.. For the net couple of weeks it is more flexible depending on what you need. You have a 30 minute phone follow up depending on what you would like to do. This covers all aspects of PRT - you can book additional sessions wish.
PRT is still a developing field, and it isn't appropriate for every type of pain. It should complement - not replace - appropriate medical assessment and care.
What Clients Say - Experiences of Pain Reprocessing Therapy with Jenny Gilmore
I'd just like to thank you Jenny for the pain reprocessing therapy you’ve helped me with.the back pain I'd had for the past three years had caused me to cut down on activities I'd previously enjoyed because I worried it would just get worse. I was taking painkillers every day and couldn't see things improving.
What I’ve learned from Somatic Tracking* is how to look at my sensations with mindful curiosity rather than fear. I’ve also become more aware of how stress and emotions can affect the nervous system and how that can influence pain.
Somatic tracking has changed my mindset. I’m dancing, walking more, walking further, and enjoying it because I know I don't need to "push through" the pain. Instead, I have the tools to help myself.
I'm no longer relying on painkillers every day and now only take them when I need to.
It's still a work in progress, but I feel like I'm moving in the right direction and I'm optimistic about the future.
Pam North Yorkshire
“Taking the Pain Reprocessing Therapy course has been a genuinely positive experience. It has helped me understand my pain in a different way and given me practical tools to respond to it with less fear and more confidence.
The support and guidance I received throughout the course from Jenny helped me rebuild my self-belief and feel more in control of my life. I would recommend this course to anyone who feels held back by chronic pain and is ready to explore a different approach.”
Sadhana, West Yorkshire