Pain Reprocessing Therapy
What if your symptoms aren't a sign that something is broken?
Your nervous system learned to protect you. Now it needs to learn something new.
Your symptoms are real. And they can change.
If you have been living with chronic symptoms — pain, fatigue, digestive issues, dizziness, insomnia, or other persistent physical experiences that haven't responded to conventional treatment — Pain Reprocessing Therapy may offer what you've been looking for. Not another way to manage your symptoms. A way to actually change them.
What is Pain Reprocessing Therapy?
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is a cutting-edge, evidence-based approach developed by psychotherapist Alan Gordon. It's grounded in one of the most significant shifts in modern neuroscience: the understanding that many chronic physical symptoms — not just pain — are generated by the brain and nervous system rather than by ongoing tissue damage or structural problems in the body.
THESE ARE CALLED NEUROPLASTIC SYMPTOMS. THEY ARE NOT IMAGINARY. THEY ARE NOT "ALL IN YOUR HEAD" IN THE DISMISSIVE SENSE. THEY ARE VERY REAL SIGNALS PRODUCED BY A NERVOUS SYSTEM THAT HAS LEARNED — THROUGH STRESS, TRAUMA, INJURY, OR PROLONGED THREAT — TO STAY IN A STATE OF HIGH ALERT. AND BECAUSE THEY ARE LEARNED, THEY CAN BE UNLEARNED.
PRT works by gently retraining the nervous system. Through a combination of education, guided awareness, and a practice called somatic tracking, you learn to relate to your body's signals with curiosity and safety rather than fear. As that fear decreases, the signals themselves begin to change. This isn't about pushing through. It's about helping your nervous system feel safe again.
The science behind it
PRT is backed by landmark research. A randomized controlled trial at the University of Colorado Boulder found that after just four weeks of PRT, the majority of people who had suffered chronic back pain for an average of 11 years became pain-free or nearly pain-free — and those results held up over time. Brain imaging from the same study showed measurable changes in how participants' brains processed pain signals. This isn't symptom management. It's neurological change.
The research has been published in JAMA Psychiatry and covered by the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the Today Show. The same neuroplastic mechanisms that drive chronic pain are increasingly understood to underlie a wide range of other persistent physical symptoms — opening the door to PRT as a treatment for conditions far beyond pain alone.
What can PRT help with?
PRT can be effective for any condition where the nervous system is generating or amplifying symptoms in the absence of — or beyond what can be explained by — structural damage or disease. If you've had thorough medical investigations and been told everything looks normal, or if your symptoms fluctuate with stress, mood, or context, neuroplastic mechanisms may be playing a significant role.
PAIN CONDITIONS
Chronic back pain · Chronic neck pain · Fibromyalgia · Migraines & headaches · Pelvic pain · Nerve pain (non-structural) · Repetitive strain injuries · Widespread body pain · Orofacial pain · Tension headaches · Sciatica (non-structural)
FATIGUE & ENERGY CONDITIONS
Chronic fatigue syndrome · ME/CFS · Post-viral fatigue · Long COVID fatigue · Burnout-related exhaustion
DIGESTIVE & PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) · Chronic nausea · Abdominal pain · Bladder sensitivity · Interstitial cystitis
SENSORY & NEUROLOGICAL SYMPTOMS
Tinnitus · Dizziness & vertigo · Multiple chemical sensitivity · Insomnia · Skin sensitivity · POTS (in some presentations)
If you're unsure whether your symptoms have a neuroplastic component, a consultation is a great place to start. We can explore together whether PRT is a good fit for what you're experiencing.
What to expect in sessions
PRT sessions are grounded, collaborative, and paced to meet you where you are. We begin by exploring your history — not just your symptoms, but your life, your patterns, and what may have contributed to your nervous system becoming stuck in a state of high alert.
From there, we work together using tools that include:
SYMPTOM EDUCATION
Understanding how the brain and nervous system generate symptoms is itself therapeutic. When you can see the mechanism clearly, the fear begins to lift — and with it, often the symptoms themselves.
SOMATIC TRACKING
A gentle mindfulness practice that helps you observe physical sensations with openness and curiosity rather than alarm — one of the most powerful tools for breaking the cycle of fear and symptoms.
EMOTIONAL AWARENESS
Unprocessed emotions and chronic stress are often deeply intertwined with neuroplastic symptoms. We explore these connections with care and at your pace.
SAFETY REAPPRAISAL
We build a growing body of evidence — drawn from your own experience — that your body is safe, and that the sensations you feel, while real, are not signals of ongoing danger or damage.