Anxiety is a fundamental part of neuroplastic pain. It is the nervous system informing us that something is not safe. The nervous system always communicates in a language of sensation; heaviness in the stomach, tingles up the spine, prickling on the back of the neck etc. Sometimes the nervous system perceives a threat that is not there, causing these sensations to give us a ‘false alarm’.

It is not just external threats that the nervous system warns us of, pain is the alarm for bodily damage. Sometimes the nervous system gives us a ‘false alarm’ here too, which is neuroplastic pain. Neuroplastic means ‘learned by the nervous system’.

When neuroplastic pain becomes chronic, the nervous system becomes hyper-alert to perceived threats, creating a feedback loop of anxious thoughts and physical symptoms.

Although chronic fatigue is not neuroplastic pain, chronic fatigue is an excellent example of a neuroplastic condition as it is a habit of the nervous system. It is the brain's misinterpretation of fatigue signals that creates a feedback loop of exhaustion and anxiety. Fear and anxiety about fatigue can amplify this loop, making symptoms more persistent and severe.