Stress & Pain Doctor | Chronic Back Pain Treatment LA

About Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)

Understanding Neuroplastic Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

Learn how emotions, stress, and learned neural pathways can create real physical pain—and how to recover using evidence-based neuroplastic approaches.

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What Is Mind-Body Pain?

Your pain is real—and your brain can learn to turn it off.

Have you ever blushed from embarrassment? In seconds, a thought causes real physical changes—blood flow to your face, flushing, warmth. Ever felt your stomach in knots before an exam? That's your brain creating physical sensations from emotions.

The same mind-body mechanism can create chronic pain.

Research shows that emotions like anxiety, anger, fear, and grief can cause or worsen chronic back pain, neck pain, headaches, migraines, jaw pain (TMJ), fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), pelvic pain, and many other conditions.

TMS (Tension Myoneural Syndrome) describes how symptoms are perpetuated by "stuck" neural pathways in the brain—not by damaged tissues or structural problems.

Also called Neuroplastic Pain, Mind-Body Syndrome, or Primary Pain Disorder (PPD).

The key insight:

Brain imaging studies show that when pain becomes chronic (lasting 6+ months), it moves from sensory regions to emotional brain centers—the prefrontal cortex and amygdala. This is why traditional physical treatments often fail. The solution isn't in the tissues—it's in retraining the brain.

From Dr. Sarno to Modern Neuroscience

Pioneering Work (1970s-2000s)

Dr. John Sarno at NYU's Rusk Institute first described the connection between emotions, the brain's limbic system, the autonomic nervous system, and chronic pain.

His approach achieved 70-75%+ success rates.

Modern Research Confirms It (2015-2025)

Functional MRI (fMRI) studies now provide clear evidence:

Chronic pain activates emotional brain regions (prefrontal cortex, amygdala)
Acute pain activates sensory regions (somatosensory cortex)Neural pathways become entrenched over time
Changing thoughts, beliefs, and emotional processing breaks the pain cycle

Recent landmark studies:

JAMA Psychiatry 2022: Pain Reprocessing Therapy achieved 66% pain-free outcomes
JAMA Psychiatry 2025: 5-year follow-up showed sustained benefits
Multiple studies from Harvard, University of Colorado, Wayne State confirm effectiveness[Explore the Research →]

How Treatment Works

Retraining your brain through education, awareness, and emotional processing

Traditional Pain Management Mind-Body/Neuroplastic Approach

Focuses on structural findings (discs, arthritis) Addresses learned neural pathways

Medications, injections, surgery Education, journaling, psychotherapy

Temporary symptom relief Lasting resolution

Can reinforce fear and disability Empowers independence

The treatment approach involves:

Education - Understanding pain neuroscience and that structural findings (herniated discs, arthritis) are usually not the cause of chronic pain
Therapeutic Journaling - Processing emotions and identifying triggers using The MindBody Workbook
Cognitive Techniques - Changing how you think about pain, fear, and physical activity
Gradual Activity Resumption - Safely returning to activities to retrain your brain that movement is safe
Psychotherapy (when needed) - Working with therapists who use Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), Emotional Awareness & Expression Therapy (EAET), and other evidence-based approaches [Learn More About Treatment Process →]