The Method
The experience of pain involves sensations, thoughts and emotions, which together construct pain in our brain. Fearless Movement, my integrative healing method, focus on identifying the sources of pain and addressing all three aspects: the physical-sensory, the mental, and the emotional.
Threat-Sensitivity
Pain is a danger signal in repose to perceived threat
The physical description of the pain experience – e.g., stabbing, pressing, burning, sharp, dull, etc.
The thoughts and beliefs associated with the sensation – e.g., something is wrong with my body, damage is caused to the body, etc.
The meaning associated with the sensation – e.g., scary, frustrating, infuriating, annoying, etc.
Rooted in the latest advancements in pain neuroscience, my methodology expands on the teachings of Dr. John Sarno, emphasizing the importance of overcoming fear of movement and embracing regular exercise for the healing process.
Movement is a potent activity that can profoundly impacts all aspects of pain. The Fearless Movement method integrates a range of personalized movement techniques within a tailored program. It is designed to bring about changes in the body, the brain, and the nervous system, essential for lasting healing and overall well-being.
Continued dedication to the program leads to freedom from chronic pain, replacing the pain experience with a sense of safety within the body. The holistic impact of this process extends to enhancing physiological capabilities in pain areas and throughout the body, releasing tension, regulating the nervous system, fostering sensory-motor tolerance and endurance, and cultivating a genuine joy of unrestricted movement.
Sensation
The sensory experience of pain refers to the physical sensations in one or more painful organs. In chronic pain and recurrent pain, these sensations can vary in quality, intensity, and even their location in the body.
While movement is crucial for healing chronic pain, individuals grappling with pain often find it challenging to initiate or resume physical activity independently. This reluctance is understandable, as chronic pain sufferers feel restricted, weakened, and, above all, fearful of movement. There is a concern that engaging in movement may trigger or worsen pain and symptoms. This fear of movement leads to avoidance, subsequently weakening the musculoskeletal system and potentially activating compensatory mechanisms that can exacerbate existing symptoms. Fear avoidance due to pain can also contribute to the development of poor biomechanical patterns, further stimulating inflammation.
-
Working with sensations to heal pain
Movement is not only safe for most people with chronic pain, but also brings relief from pain sensations in the short and long term. Movement heals.
Fearless Movement, my tailored healing method, is designed to overcome avoidance of movement due to fear and establishes a regular routine of physical activity, which is a key component in the healing process.
Chronic pain is mostly linked to learned neural pathways in the brain rather than actual tissue damage. In these pathways, pain behaves as a conditioned response, triggered or intensified each time a specific movement (like walking) or position (such as prolonged sitting) is encountered. The Fearless Movement method is designed to dissociate pain from movement. By encouraging repetitive movement in diverse contexts, it supports the steady break down of these conditioned responses. Through gradual, personalized, and safe exposure, sensory tolerance to movement develops. As conditioning fades, the pain associated with movement gradually subsides and disappears.
Chronic pain is also connected to the retention of tension in the body, such as over-contracted muscles or unnecessary co-contraction, indicating the use of faulty biomechanical patterns and an over-excited nervous system. My method focuses on releasing tension through discharge, relaxation, restoring muscular balance, and reorganizing movement and posture patterns.
Cognition
When the brain perceives damage in the body, it triggers a pain response. Therefore, pain is linked to our interpretation of its origins (e.g., the belief that we hurt because a part of our body is damaged), and the severity of the pain is influenced by how we interpret it (e.g., perceiving the injury as severe with no clear resolution).
Pain serves as a protection mechanism—a metaphorical alarm system alerting us to potential damage or injury. This system aids in preventing further harm and supports healing by signaling us to care for the injured area. Chronic pain arises when this alarm system becomes imbalanced. Typically, chronic pain does not stem directly from lasting tissue damage but rather from hypersensitivity in the nervous system that amplifies and prolongs pain signals. The brain interprets these signals as a genuine threat to the body, even though it is a false alarm—similar to a malfunctioning smoke detector warning of a house fire when it’s just a piece of toast.
-
Working with thoughts to heal pain
Given that the source of most chronic pain is neuroplastic, it is curable! The foundation for the cognitive change needed for healing lies in current scientific knowledge regarding the role of the brain and nervous system in constructing and perpetuating pain. Being familiar with this scientific knowledge holds proven healing power, making its study an integral part of the treatment and coaching process.
A dimension of the work on thought-consciousness integrated into the healing method involves diminishing the threat value associated with pain. Through the integration of somatic practices, a new awareness of body sensations and a shift in the meaning attributed to sensory experiences during movement and rest become possible. This aspect of the process transforms the communication between the mind and body, rewiring neural pathways associated with pain.
Another key aspect centers on reinforcing our belief in the body’s resilience. Unlike a mechanical body, the biological body is anti-fragile—when appropriately challenged, it not only avoids weakening or breaking but becomes stronger. Tailored movement practice provides evidence of the body’s anti-fragility, fostering the conviction that the body is resilient and not instantly threatened by uncomfortable sensations.
Emotion
Fear can cause pain and fear of pain keeps the pain alive.
Chronic and recurrent pain are associated with stress. Emotional experiences become imprinted in the physical body, influencing our coping mechanisms. When life’s stressors become overwhelming and exceed our resilience, the brain may convert emotional tension into physical tension, leading to the experience of physical pain.
Worries, pressure and self-criticism activate threatening emotions that play a crucial role in the development of chronic and recurrent pain. As pain sets in, a new fear often emerges: the fear of pain itself, creating a vicious cycle that sustains the pain.
-
Working with emotions to heal pain
Every emotion we feel has a physical expression in the body.
Recognizing and processing these emotions are crucial for pain healing.
Fearless Movement involves identifying emotions linked to pain by exploring the areas of pain, its flare-up patterns, and life circumstances relevant to its development or recurrence.
Emotional release, necessary to heal physical pain and break the pain-fear cycle, is facilitated through somatic practice—developing the ability to feel emotions in the body and building tolerance to the sensory expression of emotions in the physical body.