Pain has a way of taking over everything. When it lingers, when it becomes chronic, it feels like it controls your days, your thoughts, your energy, and even your identity. For 25 years, I lived with unbearable hormonal migraines that dictated my life. They would start with extreme tiredness, intense cravings, and a dull pain on one side of my head that gradually worsened. Eventually, they would escalate to vomiting and, at their worst, even brought suicidal thoughts. They were excruciating, and completely consuming. I believed I had no control over them—until I discovered Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT). This groundbreaking approach helped me break free from the cycle of fear and suffering, and I want to share my journey with you.

If you’ve struggled with chronic hormonal migraines, I know how isolating and exhausting it can be. But here’s the truth: your brain is capable of unlearning pain. And with the right approach, you can teach it to feel safe again.

The Science Behind Pain Reprocessing Therapy

Pain Reprocessing Therapy is not just another alternative healing method—it is one of the most well-researched, evidence-based pain relief techniques available today. Recent studies, including those conducted at the University of Colorado Boulder, have shown that PRT has helped patients reduce chronic pain by retraining the brain’s pain response. These studies reveal that people who practice PRT experience significant reductions in pain intensity, with some even becoming pain-free.

The reason this works is that chronic pain—especially conditions like hormonal migraines—is often a learned neural pathway rather than a sign of ongoing physical damage. This means that the pain is real—but it’s being generated by the brain’s perception of danger rather than actual tissue injury.

For years, I thought my hormonal migraines were purely a physical response to hormonal fluctuations. But through Pain Reprocessing Therapy, I learned that while hormones played a role, my brain’s fear response to pain was amplifying and perpetuating it. My nervous system had become hypersensitive, keeping my pain cycle alive even when my hormones weren’t out of balance.

The key to healing? Rewiring the brain to stop interpreting these signals as dangerous.

The Power of Observing Pain Without Fear

One key aspect of Pain Reprocessing Therapy is somatic tracking, a method that is most effective when practiced at the onset of a migraine rather than when the pain has become unbearable. Catching it early allows the brain to recognize safety before the pain cycle escalates, making it easier to shift the nervous system’s response.

One of the most powerful lessons I learned through Pain Reprocessing Therapy was how to observe my migraines without fear. That sounds impossible, right? When you’ve lived with decades of debilitating pain, it feels like an unstoppable force. Every migraine attack used to send me into a spiral of dread—fearing how long it would last, how intense it would be, and how much of my life it would steal.

PRT teaches that fear fuels pain. The more we fear it, the more our brain interprets it as a threat, reinforcing the cycle. But when we begin to observe pain with curiosity instead of panic, we start shifting the brain’s response.

I remember one breakthrough moment when I decided to try this approach. Instead of immediately tensing up and spiraling into anxiety, I sat with my migraine and said: “I see you. I know you’re there. But I am safe.”

For the first time, something shifted. The migraine didn’t disappear instantly, but it didn’t escalate either. It was as if my brain took a breath and said, Oh, maybe this isn’t as dangerous as we thought. That was the beginning of something incredible.

Crafting Your Own Message of Safety

Pain Reprocessing Therapy often suggests using statements like “I feel safe”, but I realized that the message needed to be personal. It had to address my specific fears to be truly effective.

I asked myself: What makes me feel unsafe?

The answer was clear: for most of my life, I felt unsafe because I didn’t have the choice to rest when I needed to. The feeling of constraint stressed me, making my migraines even more overwhelming. But I realized something powerful—telling myself that I always have a choice helped my brain to feel safe.

But I am an adult. I have power over my response. I can trust my body.

This became my personal message of safety: “I trust my body. My body knows how to heal. I am safe.”

The first time I said this to myself during a migraine, something remarkable happened. My body relaxed. The tension that usually made my migraines worse began to fade. It didn’t disappear in an instant, but it softened, and with practice, this response became stronger.

Your message will be different. It has to be. Pain Reprocessing Therapy works best when it is deeply personal. So I invite you to ask yourself:

• What makes me feel unsafe?
• What is actually true now?

When you find an answer that resonates, that’s your key to telling your brain the truth it needs to hear.

Rewiring the Brain, One Thought at a Time

Neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to change—means that the more we practice Pain Reprocessing Therapy, the more our brain rewires itself for safety instead of pain. Each time you:

• Acknowledge pain without reacting in fear
• Replace fear-based thoughts with messages of safety
• Engage in normal movement without overprotecting yourself

…you are teaching your brain a new way to process pain. Over time, the neural pathways that sustain pain weaken, and new, healthier pathways take their place.

This is not about ignoring real symptoms or pushing through pain recklessly. It’s about breaking the cycle of learned pain and reminding your nervous system that it is safe.

How Pain Reprocessing Therapy Changed My Life

Before I started this journey, I felt trapped in my own body. Hormonal migraines dictated my schedule, my mood, my plans, and my entire existence. I lived in fear of the next attack, wondering how many days I would lose to pain.

Now, I move through life with confidence and freedom. Do I still experience discomfort? Occasionally. But the difference is that I can catch it early, keeping it as a mild, manageable headache that fades away instead of escalating into a debilitating migraine that wipes me out for two days. I now have the tools to shift my brain’s response, meeting the first signs of discomfort with calm assurance instead of fear.

This shift has been life-changing. And it’s possible for you, too.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

If any of this resonates with you, know that you’re not alone. Healing from chronic migraines is possible, and you don’t have to navigate it alone.

Pain Reprocessing Therapy has helped me shift from living in fear of migraines to feeling in control of my body again. It’s not about suppressing pain—it’s about retraining your brain to respond differently.

If you’re curious about this approach, I offer a free consultation to help you explore your options and identify the first steps in your healing journey. While some people start noticing changes quickly, it typically takes 4 to 8 sessions to see real improvement or even become pain-free. Healing is a process, and I’m here to support you through it.

There are also online peer support groups where you can connect with others on a similar path. You don’t have to do this alone. If you’d like to learn more book a free chat. Your brain is capable of change, and so are you. 💙