‘Neuroplastic Pain’ is pain that has been ‘learned by the nervous system’. Recent research and clinical trials have shed light on the nervous system’s role in cases of chronic pain and challenged many established beliefs about the causes of conditions such as migraines. 

We have learned that, when dysregulated for prolonged periods of time, the nervous system begins to alert us to our need to address our stress level and levels of dysregulation. These alerts generally start as subtle sensations that can be easily ignored or suppressed, but eventually grow to become symptoms such as migraines that simply cannot be ignored. 

Pain is the way that our nervous system lets us know that we are in danger. When we consciously know that a situation is safe, the pain decreases. An example of this is when you bang your head unexpectedly, experience a sharp spike of pain, then realise that you are okay, and the sensation decreases rapidly. Conversely, when we consciously believe that a situation is dangerous we become more sensitised to uncomfortable sensations as our nervous system is put on ‘high alert’, an example of this could be the nausea experienced before performing in front of a big crowd, or taking an important examination.