One in six adults and 30-40% of primary care patients suffer from medically unexplained symptoms, chronic functional syndromes or psychosocial factors linked to chronic pain. Collectively these are known as Psychophysiologic Disorders.

Pain is usually misunderstood, both in terms of what causes it and why. This misunderstanding has led to hundreds of millions of chronic pain patients being misdiagnosed and thus receiving treatment that tries to manage the symptom while completely ignoring the cause. To fix this, you first need to understand what pain really is.

Pain is a Danger Signal

ALL PAIN IS REAL and all pain is generated in the brain. In fact, the brain is responsible for generating every sensation we feel and, through the nervous system, it controls ALL of our bodily functions. The brain does this by interpreting electrical signals from our body and decides almost instantaneously how to respond; consciously and unconsciously.

Pain and other uncomfortable sensations are how our brain alerts us when it perceives a threat. The threat can be real or imagined, physical or psychological. When the brain’s danger alarm mechanism gets activated, our sympathetic nervous system prepares us for “fight or flight.” When danger signals disappear and/or safety signals are perceived, our parasympathetic nervous system activates so we can “rest and digest.”

When the danger alarm mechanism is being activated longer than it should or in response to benign stimuli, chronic pain and other symptoms can be generated by the brain. This is what we call a Psychophysiologic Disorder.

What are Psychophysiologic Disorders?

The term Psychophysiologic Disorders (PPD) is a blend of Psychology (the processes in the mind) and Physiology (the processes in the body). PPDs are pain or illness that develop in response to stress, trauma and other psychological factors including those linked to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). These symptoms can affect almost any structure, organ system or region in the body. For example, chronic pain, migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue, long Covid, bladder spasm, and pelvic pain are just a few of the conditions to which PPD can contribute.

The good news is that many recent published studies have confirmed that several versions of Pain Relief Psychology can provide far better relief of PPD than the techniques of the past. With this evidence-based approach to diagnosis and treatment, there is every chance that you can achieve relief from your chronic pain or illness.

Watch These Videos

PPDA Co-Founder Dr. Howard Schubiner created these helpful videos with Dr. Sohrab Gollogly. Understanding PPD is a key step in relieving symptoms, so we recommend watching these videos in order.

#1 What is Pain?

#2 The Brain creates pain

#3 Predictive Coding

#4 How to determine the cause of chronic pain

Common Psychophysiologic Disorders