Pain Reprocessing Therapy: How to Retrain Your Brain and Reduce Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is real, but the cause isn’t always tissue damage. In many cases, the brain and nervous system become stuck in a state of heightened danger signalling, called “sensitisation”, even after the original injury has healed. Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) is an evidence-based approach that helps you break this cycle by teaching your brain to feel safe again.
This method has been supported by clinical research, including a landmark randomised controlled trial from Boulder, Colorado, showing that PRT led to significant and lasting pain reductions in people with chronic back pain. The approach was developed by Alan Gordon, author of The Way Out: A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain.
What Is Pain Reprocessing Therapy?
PRT is based on the understanding that chronic pain can become a learned response. When the brain perceives threat or danger, it can generate pain as a protective mechanism, even when there’s no ongoing injury. Over time, this pain becomes conditioned, and the nervous system becomes hypersensitive.
PRT teaches you to:
Identify when your pain is neuroplastic (brain-generated)
Interrupt fear-based responses
Send messages of safety to your brain
Re-engage with life in a confident, empowered way
The Core Steps of Pain Reprocessing Therapy
1. Education: Understanding Pain as a Brain-Based Experience
Learn that chronic pain often results from neural pathways that have become overactive. The Boulder study found that when people understood pain as a learned signal—not a sign of damage—they felt less fearful and more in control.
2. Somatic Tracking
This is the cornerstone of PRT. Somatic tracking involves noticing your pain with curiosity and calmness instead of fear. The steps include:
Observe: Gently pay attention to the sensation without judgment.
Reframe: Remind yourself the pain is safe and not harmful.
Soothe: Bring a sense of compassion and calm to your body as you observe.
3. Cognitive Reframing
Challenge old beliefs like “my pain means I’m broken.” Replace them with accurate, reassuring thoughts such as “my body is safe, and this pain is a learned response.”
4. Graded Exposure
Gradually and safely reintroduce movements or activities you’ve been avoiding because of pain. This teaches your brain that those activities are safe.
5. Emotional Awareness & Processing
Explore underlying stress, fear, or suppressed emotions that may be amplifying your nervous system’s danger signals. Techniques from Alan Gordon’s book guide you through feeling and releasing emotions safely.
Why Does PRT Work?
The Boulder study showed that two-thirds of participants were pain-free or nearly pain-free after four weeks of PRT, and the improvements lasted at least a year. This suggests that when the brain learns safety, pain signals can diminish or disappear.
Practical Tips to Get Started
Read The Way Out by Alan Gordon
Try a somatic tracking exercise daily
Gently test a feared movement with reassurance
Journal about fears or emotions connected to pain
Final Thoughts
Pain Reprocessing Therapy offers hope for people with chronic pain by addressing the root cause: a brain stuck in protection mode. With education, somatic tracking, and gradual re-engagement, you can teach your nervous system to feel safe again—and reclaim your life.