#prt tag

[bugs-in-a-trench-coat]

Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), (honorary mention of EAET*, Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy) - saying this as someone with trauma-induced chronic pain. The first time something is starting to make a difference after 7 years of unremitting (7/10) pain (daily headache in my case, tension type ... what you'd label as NDPH).

read The Way Out by Alan Gordon & Alon Ziv, there is a lot of research that went into this. I don't trust anything of this sort unless it's backed by studies and evidence. Additionally, they managed to capture the pain on fMRIs, more specifically in the part of the brain associated with learning and memory. That is huge. If you were ever told that your pain isn't real, they have it on a scan.

The success rate is: 98% of patients improved and 66% of patients were pain-free or nearly pain-free* at the end of treatment. The results held up when checked a year later.

*their definition of pain-free/nearly pain-free being 0-1/10 pain level

If you know anything about chronic pain treatment statistics, you likely see this is groundbreaking. Certainly better than the usual "no cure".

I'm aware that unless you've looked into this, it probably sounds like some kind of woo woo. I initially thought it was BS and closed my tabs on it (like I've said, I've been in pain for 7 years. If there were something, I would've known by now, right?). Read the book, my curiosity wouldn't let me not to (truthfully, thanks to the science and references involved) because the other option was to give up. Read the book.

Don't underestimate your chance. If you commit to it, you can do this yourself. I'm not saying it will be easy but your chances of recovery might be high and would you pass on that? I am doing it myself (I'm already quite familiar with how to do intenional neural rewiring sucessfully thanks to a different instance in my life), I have gone through extensive testing (therefore I know for certain I have no structural damage) and I do fit the majority of the criteria for neuroplastic pain, which is why I believe PRT is the perfect fit for me personally. If you want a practitioner, there are options, but this treatment is incredibly accessible if you think you have what it takes and choose to do it on your own. There are numerous cases who have made a full recovery on their own.

Some of the many interviews I found helpful after reading the book: **int1 <- is my favourite and a good introduction to the topic int2, int3, int4, int5,

+ **Howard Schubiner, MD also has this new book on the topic that is much more detailed

int6 (an interview in which the book listed above is mentioned in more depth)

*should imo in many cases be practiced with PRT (after you get a physical assessment)

the books for reference - 1. 206 pages, a good summary 2. 430 pages, more detailed

[bugs-in-a-trench-coat]

I wish headache disorders and the toll of having one were more acknowledged in chronic pain communities. I don't want to invalidate people's experiences, I wholeheartedly believe every pain, illness and disablity is its own burden and valid, but there really is an added layer when that pain is felt in your brain and I don't see that conversation anywhere.

I'm no stranger to pain, I've experienced many types of pain, but really none of them affect you quite as much mentally as a headache disorder does. When the rest of your body hurts but your head does not, your thoughts aren't that affected in comparison.

I've had a headache for seven years now, without a pause (what you'd label as tension type NDPH), bad enough that at some point, after describing my pain levels, I was told by a neurologist I was lying because if it were true, I'd not have made it for that long (what an asshole). But yes, I have come very close to ending it because of not being believed, not having received any treatment/management, nor accommodations and because my condition was previously thought of as untreatable. I have gone through a lot of shit in my life, the headache is one of the consequences, I'm just 23, and I think it's understandable that after all that, being told you'd be in pain for the rest of your life doesn't sound like much of a reason to stay. Not when you see no hope of getting better.

After seven years, I have come across a relatively new treatment that finally explained my condition and while it's definitely a long haul, it seems to be doing something, I do truly believe that gradually, the pain will fade to nothing knowing what I know now and doing what I am doing as part of said treatment but that gave me this insight, since my pain now does sometimes reach lower levels.

The difference in the way you think when in 7-8 (never used to go below those, the worst I ever got to was probably a 9, I have fainted from too much pain before...and was told to get up and stop faking), level of pain and levels lower than that is staggering. I have never experienced that with any other pain. My treatment doesn't directly revolve around medication but if you've ever taken a pain med strong enough to do something noticeable and felt your suicidality/depression/negativity lift significantly in minutes, that is what I mean. Unfortunately, you can't be on stuff like opiates long-term. Unfortunately, you can forget what your mind is like without pain. It changes the way you see the world.

So for everyone with a headache disorder, I want to acknowledge this part of it. It is very difficult. It is difficult to feel your pain in the organ responsible for your consciousness. I promise you are seen for everything it comes with. Personally, I know I really need to hear that sometimes.

[bugs-in-a-trench-coat]

I have barely been in pain these past days :)

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purity ring aesthetic: clear skies with color gradients, waves crashing against rocks, bones, a deep cave, mist in the early morning when the sun is just rising, a dark forest, drowning in mud, plants growing on your back

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cartographist by purity ring is def one of my fave songs. it's hypnotic and something about the sound reminds me of green caves with light filtering through holes in the ceiling