Understanding the Pain-Fear Cycle: A Somatic Approach

Why Pain Gets Worse When You're Scared of It

When you live with chronic pain, it’s completely normal to fear flare-ups, movement, or even rest. But this fear, while valid, can accidentally feed the pain itself.

This is called the Pain-Fear Cycle, and it’s one of the most important patterns I help clients break through in therapy.

What Is the Pain-Fear Cycle?

The Pain-Fear Cycle works like this:

1. You feel pain

2. You start to fear the pain returning

3. That fear triggers, tension, bracing, and stress

4. Which increases your pain

The nervous system starts seeing everyday activity as a threat. Over time, this keeps the brain on high alert, even when the original injury is gone.

How Somatic Therapy Helps

Somatic therapy works with the body, not just the mind. It helps you:

• Reconnect with body sensations in a safe way

• Regulate your stress response in real time

• Gently build tolerance for movement and sensation

Over time, this sends a message to the brain: “This isn’t dangerous anymore.”

Small Shifts, Big Changes

In therapy, we might use tools like:

• Body scans

• Somatic tracking

• Breathwork

• Slow, mindful movement

These aren't exercises to "fix" the pain, but ways to retrain the brain’s danger response.

Freedom From the Fear Loop Is Possible

You don’t have to live afraid of your own body.You can learn to trust your system again step by step.

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