If you’re facing chronic pain, fatigue, or other persistent physical issues including digestive, auditory, visual or vestibular (dizziness) symptoms that remain unexplained or problematic despite medical assessment or intervention, it’s easy to lose hope. But there’s growing evidence from neuroscience that our brain and nervous system play a significant role in the way we experience physical sensations including pain. And that gives you more power to reduce unwanted symptoms than you might ever have imagined!

It is now widely accepted that the brain modulates our perceptions of pain and other messages from the nerves and tissues, depending on a number of factors. It can dial symptoms up, or dial them down, independent of the physical processes in the body that signalled them in the first place. There is growing evidence that with the right approach, we can relieve some chronic symptoms altogether[1].

In many cases, the brain and nervous system can continue to generate symptoms long after their initial cause has resolved in the structure of the body: the pain that continues long after the injury has healed, the tinnitus that doesn’t go away, the dizziness that fails to resolve after the concussion has gone, the irritable digestive system, the chronic migraines, the unending fatigue… You may not even know what caused the symptoms, and the idea of recovery might feel out of reach.

Grounded in neuroscience, rooted in compassion

I offer an evidence-informed approach to help you harness the power of your brain and nervous system and turn them to your advantage, supporting you in reducing unwanted symptoms. This work involves personalised coaching, and the thoughtful and tailored application of a range of therapies and techniques which are rooted in contemporary nervous system, neuroplasticity (neural circuit) and mind-body approaches. These techniques are showing great promise in supporting symptom reduction and healing, and include:

• Pain / symptom reprocessing

• Neuroplasticity & mind-body coaching

• Emotional awareness, expression and release therapies

• Techniques supporting deep shifts in your relationship with yourself, others and events from your past

• Somatic experiencing and embodiment practices

• Guided (low intensity) CBT

• Nervous system desensitisation

Many people who previously suffered for years are reporting success in reducing symptoms and reclaiming active, fulfilling lives after applying these types of methods [2]. There is a growing number of published research studies which back up the validity of those personal recovery stories, suggesting that the correct techniques and understanding, when tailored and applied compassionately to individual circumstances, can create lasting symptom relief [3].

The true beauty of this work is that at the same time as we move toward reducing unwanted physical sensations, we are simultaneously creating change in other areas of difficulty, such as reducing anxiety, addressing unhelpful coping patterns, and rediscovering self-trust.