FAQ: Living with Chronic Pain – Answers, Guidance, and Gentle Truths
Chronic pain is confusing, isolating, and often invisible to the outside world. If you’ve just been diagnosed, are still searching for answers, or feel like no one understands what you’re going through — this page is for you.
Here are the most common questions I receive, answered with honesty and care.
What is chronic pain?
Chronic pain is pain that lasts for longer than 3 months. It may have started with an injury, illness, or seemingly no cause at all. Unlike acute pain, chronic pain often continues after the body has healed — especially in conditions like central sensitization or fibromyalgia.
What causes chronic pain with no clear injury?
This can happen when the nervous system becomes hypersensitive. Your brain may continue to interpret signals as dangerous, even when your body is physically safe. This is often referred to as nervous system dysregulation or nociplastic pain.
Is chronic pain all in my head?
No. Pain is real — even when there’s no visible damage. While the brain plays a role in how pain is processed, that doesn’t mean your suffering is imaginary. You are not making it up, and you deserve to be taken seriously.
4. How do I know if I have central sensitization?
Common signs include widespread pain, fatigue, sensitivity to touch, sound, or light, and a feeling that your body overreacts to minor stressors. A pain specialist or physical therapist familiar with central sensitization syndrome can help confirm it.
5. Can chronic pain be cured?
While some types of chronic pain can be resolved, others may need long-term management. But healing is possible — even if that means reducing pain, improving function, and reclaiming your life rather than making it disappear completely.
6. What helps with nervous system dysregulation?
Practices like nervous system regulation, somatic exercises, breathwork, and pain education have been shown to help. In my blog, I share tools that have helped me — from gentle movement to mindset shifts.
7. Why don’t doctors always understand chronic pain?
Many medical professionals were trained to look for structural problems (like tissue damage), not nervous system dysfunction. Conditions like central sensitization don’t always show up in tests, which is why patients are often misunderstood or dismissed.
8. What can I do when no one believes me?
Start by believing yourself. Find communities (like this one), talk to pain-aware practitioners, and gather knowledge. You are your best advocate — and you’re not alone in this.
9. How can I explain my pain to others?
Use analogies: “It’s like my volume dial is stuck on high.” Or: “My alarm system keeps going off, even when there’s no fire.” Sharing blog posts, videos, or books can help others understand.
10. Where should I start on your blog?
I invite you to begin with my story, the starting point of my journey through chronic pain. If any part of it resonates with your own experience, I encourage you to explore the rest of this blog. You may find reflections of your own path, along with insights and tools that can offer support along the way.