When the Story Shifts,
the Pain Can Too
Pain follows meaning. Change the meaning, and the pain often follows.
Pain Is Shaped by Story
Pain isn’t just about what happens to your body—it’s about how your brain makes sense of what’s happening.
If your brain believes something is dangerous, unstable, or unresolved, it’s more likely to produce pain—whether or not there’s physical damage (Moseley & Butler, 2015).
That’s because pain is a protective story, not a damage report.
A New Narrative Can Shift the Sensation
Ever noticed how a reassuring explanation from a trusted clinician can lower pain almost immediately?
Or how fear, confusion, or a scary diagnosis can make it spike?
The pain didn’t change because your tissues healed instantly.
It changed because your brain got new context—a different story about what the sensation means.
Meaning matters. Belief shapes biology.
And story changes sensitivity (Bunzli et al., 2013).
The Old Story Keeps People Stuck
People in chronic pain often carry stories like:
• “My body is fragile.”
• “If it hurts, I’m doing damage.”
• “I’ll never be the same again.”
• “Nobody believes me.”
These narratives aren’t just background thoughts. They shape how the nervous system responds to movement, stress, and life.
They can amplify threat, tension, and fear—and lock pain in place.
Shift the Story, Shift the System
What happens when the story shifts?
When someone begins to say:
• “My pain doesn’t mean I’m broken.”
• “My body is trying to protect me.”
• “I’m not fragile—I’m adaptable.”
• “I can trust my body again.”
Something profound happens.
The brain lowers the threat level.
The nervous system begins to recalibrate.
New choices feel possible again.
Not because pain vanished in an instant. But because the story opened a new path forward.
Tools to Help the Story Shift
• Pain Neuroscience Education: Learning how pain works dismantles fear-based stories.
• Movement Exposure: Doing feared movements in safe, supported ways builds new evidence.
• Language Reframing: Swapping fragile metaphors for empowering ones (e.g., “Your spine is strong and adaptable.”)
• Validation and Listening: Feeling seen helps people let go of defensive narratives.
Healing begins when someone says:
“That explains it.”
“That makes sense now.”
“Maybe I’m not broken after all.”
Final Thought
The stories we tell about pain can either trap us or free us.
The nervous system isn’t just listening to nerves—it’s listening to narrative.
If we want to change pain, we don’t just need new treatments.
We need better stories.
And you can begin telling a new one today.
References
1. Moseley, G. L., & Butler, D. S. (2015). Explain Pain Supercharged. Noigroup Publications.
2. Bunzli, S., Smith, A., Schütze, R., & O’Sullivan, P. (2013). Beliefs underlying pain-related fear and how they evolve: a qualitative investigation in people with chronic back pain and high pain-related fear. BMJ Open, 3(9), e003112.