Pain is really strange

How can we help people be in less pain? This is a really big question.

Pain occurs when the intelligence in the body decides something is unsafe. Persistent pain is usefully thought of as a reflex or habit that is out of sync with the current state of the tissues. Persistent pain is a fault with the alarm systems being overprotective. 

The model offered in this workshop is that if we can safely feed the brain essential sensations about the body ('nerve flow') we can break cycles of pain. This workshop will explore where the information comes from that helps us feel and the best ways to stimulate pathways that enhance the control of the body.

A huge amount of signals come from the spine. Every time a spinal joints move there is burst of sensory information into the central nervous system. The workshop will highlight some easy, effective ways of orienting to and treating this key structure.

• Understanding pain - 'Pain is an output'.
• Sensitisation in the nervous and immune systems.
• Explaining pain to your clients, using stories, metaphors and science.
• The spine and the nervous system - simple orientations.
• Using a two handed contact on the spine - 'Uncoiling the snake'.
• Principles to change pain - education, graded exposure, precision in movement, being creative with feelings, keeping moving.