Pain Is a Signal to Understand, Not Just a Problem to Fix
We’re taught to treat pain like a mechanical error — something broken, something to shut down fast. But pain isn’t always a sign of damage. It’s often a protective message from the nervous system, shaped by past experience, context, and meaning [1].
Instead of asking “What’s wrong with me?”, try asking:
“What is my pain trying to protect me from?”
Pain can arise when your body perceives threat — even if no injury is present. It may be responding to stress, fear, memory, or even learned beliefs about what’s “unsafe” [2]. This doesn’t make the pain less real. It makes it more complex — and more understandable.
When we treat pain as a signal, not just a symptom, we open the door to healing through curiosity, safety, and trust [3].
References:
Moseley, G. L. (2003). Pain and the neuromatrix in the brain. Journal of Physiotherapy.
Vlaeyen, J. W. S., & Linton, S. J. (2000). Fear-avoidance and pain: from behavior to biology. Pain.
Louw, A., Diener, I., Butler, D. S., & Puentedura, E. J. (2016). The efficacy of pain neuroscience education on musculoskeletal pain. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice.