Therapy for Chronic Pain
Strength doesn't come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't.
Offering virtual services online across North America to help you overcome the challenges of living with chronic pain.
Assess Pain Signals
Shift how you interpret pain signals to feel more in control of your body.
Rewire Your Brain
Train your brain to form new pathways that can change the way pain is experienced.
Reduce Chronic Pain
Manage pain more effectively to enhance your physical and mental health.
You’re not making it up…
The pain is real, even if tests and exams can’t find a clear reason for it. It’s always there, messing with your life, goals, relationships, and daily routines. You want relief and real solutions, but you’re not sure where to start, and it’s exhausting trying to push through every day.
At STC Therapy, we help you get to the root of your pain and retrain how your brain processes it, so you can take back control and start feeling like yourself again.
Does this sound like you?
You feel pain, but medical exams or tests can’t pinpoint a clear physical reason.
The discomfort lasts well beyond normal healing time, becoming a persistent issue.
The severity of the pain can fluctuate unpredictably, with good and bad days.
Stressful events or heightened emotions seem to make the pain worse.
Treatments like medication, surgery, or physical therapy haven’t provided lasting relief.
Chronic pain often disrupts sleep, leaving you feeling tired or drained.
Ongoing discomfort may lead to feelings of frustration, depression, or anxiety.
Pain interferes with everyday tasks, making it tough to stay active or maintain a routine.
We help treat pain symptoms and get you back to living your best life.
What is chronic pain?
Chronic pain is more than just discomfort that lingers—it’s pain that lasts for weeks, months, or even years, often continuing long after an initial injury or health condition has healed. Unlike acute pain, which is your body’s natural warning system, chronic pain can take on a life of its own. It may show up as ongoing back pain, joint stiffness, nerve pain, or even widespread body aches without a clear medical cause.
Research shows that chronic pain often involves both the body and the brain. Over time, the nervous system can become “overactive,” sending out pain signals even when there is no new injury. This process is called nociplastic or neuroplastic pain, and it explains why some people continue to hurt even when scans or tests come back “normal.”
Living with chronic pain can impact every part of your life—your sleep, energy levels, mood, relationships, and ability to do the things you love. It’s common to feel frustrated, misunderstood, or even hopeless when doctors can’t find answers or when treatments don’t bring lasting relief.
At STC Therapy, I specialize in helping people understand the science of chronic pain and, more importantly, learn strategies to retrain the brain and body. With the right support, it is possible to reduce pain, manage flare-ups, and regain a sense of control and confidence in your life.
What are the Symptoms of Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain can look very different from person to person, but it is generally defined as pain lasting longer than three months—even after an injury or condition has healed. Unlike acute pain, which is your body’s short-term response to injury, chronic pain continues and often interferes with daily life.
Common symptoms of chronic pain include:
Persistent discomfort or aching in the back, neck, joints, or muscles.
Sharp, burning, or throbbing pain that may come and go or remain constant.
Stiffness and limited mobility, making everyday activities difficult.
Increased sensitivity to touch or pressure in certain areas of the body.
Sleep disturbances, such as trouble falling asleep or staying asleep due to pain.
Fatigue and low energy, often from the body being in a state of stress.
Mood changes, including irritability, sadness, anxiety, or frustration connected to living with ongoing pain.
Anxiety and Depression, poor mental health can develop after a challenging time of coping with pain
Cognitive difficulties sometimes referred to as “brain fog,” where concentration and memory feel impaired.
Chronic pain doesn’t just affect the body—it impacts mental health, relationships, work, and overall quality of life. Because of this, many people find that addressing both the physical and emotional aspects of pain is the most effective path toward relief.
What causes Chronic Pain?
There are many possible causes of chronic pain, and they are not always easy to pinpoint. In some cases, pain begins with an illness or injury—such as a broken bone, surgery, or infection—and lingers long after the body has healed. In other situations, there may be an ongoing medical condition contributing to pain, like arthritis, fibromyalgia, or cancer. However, chronic pain can also exist without any clear injury or identifiable medical explanation. In these cases, changes in how the brain and nervous system process pain signals may cause pain to persist even when no physical damage is present.
Chronic pain is complex, and for many people, multiple factors play a role. This may include physical conditions, emotional stress, lifestyle factors, and nervous system sensitivity. Understanding the underlying causes is an important step in finding the right treatment approach.
Chronic pain syndromes are conditions where pain is the central and lasting problem, often without a simple medical explanation. These syndromes can affect different parts of the body and may involve the nervous system, muscles, or joints. Some of the most common chronic pain syndromes include:
Fibromyalgia – Widespread muscle and joint pain often paired with fatigue, sleep problems, and cognitive difficulties (“fibro fog”).
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) – Severe, burning pain that usually develops after an injury, surgery, or stroke, often affecting the arms, legs, hands, or feet.
Myofascial Pain Syndrome – Pain caused by sensitive trigger points in the muscles, leading to aching, stiffness, and referred pain in other areas of the body.
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ/TMD) – Chronic pain in the jaw joint and surrounding muscles, sometimes causing headaches, ear pain, or difficulty chewing.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME) – A complex disorder characterized by extreme fatigue, muscle pain, and sensitivity, often worsened by physical or mental activity.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) – Abdominal pain, bloating, and changes in bowel habits that can significantly impact daily life.
These syndromes highlight how chronic pain is not always tied to an injury you can see or a condition that shows up on tests. They often involve changes in the way the brain and nervous system process pain signals, which makes them complex but treatable with the right support.
What are Common Chronic Pain Syndromes?
Get back to living.
Types of Chronic Pain
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Nociceptive pain comes from ongoing tissue, muscle, or joint damage. It often feels aching, throbbing, or sharp, and is usually linked to inflammation or injury. People with arthritis, sports injuries, sprains, or chronic low back pain caused by disc or joint problems may experience this type of pain. Even after surgery, some individuals continue to feel nociceptive pain if the tissues don’t fully heal.
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Neuropathic pain develops when nerves are damaged, compressed, or not functioning properly. This type of pain is commonly described as burning, tingling, shooting, numbness, or even an electric-shock sensation. Conditions such as sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetic neuropathy, or pain that lingers after shingles (postherpetic neuralgia) are all examples of neuropathic pain. Because it originates from the nervous system itself, it can be particularly challenging to treat.
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Nociplastic, also called neuroplastic pain, occurs when the nervous system becomes overly sensitive and keeps sending pain signals even without new injury or tissue damage. Many people describe it as widespread, persistent, and difficult to pinpoint, with symptoms that often flare when stress or fatigue are high. Fibromyalgia, chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, and certain cases of chronic low back or neck pain fall into this category. For people with scoliosis and other spinal conditions, nociplastic pain can amplify structural discomfort, making symptoms feel more intense than what scans or imaging show.
Because these types of pain can overlap, it’s common to experience a mix—for example, arthritis (nociceptive) combined with nerve pain (neuropathic), made worse by an overactive nervous system (nociplastic). Understanding these different mechanisms is key to finding the right strategies for relief.
Chronic pain treatment is not one-size-fits-all. Because pain is influenced by the body, mind, and nervous system, the most effective approach is often a combination of treatments that address both physical and emotional well-being.
Common treatments for chronic pain include:
Medications – Such as anti-inflammatories, nerve pain medications, or muscle relaxants, which may help reduce pain levels.
Physical therapy and exercise – Gentle, guided movement can improve mobility, strengthen muscles, and reduce stiffness.
Lifestyle changes – Nutrition, stress reduction, sleep hygiene, and pacing activities play an important role in managing pain.
Complementary approaches – Acupuncture, massage, and relaxation techniques can sometimes provide additional relief.
Psychotherapy: A Key Part of Pain Management
While medical treatments can target physical symptoms, psychotherapy addresses the way chronic pain affects the brain, emotions, and daily life. Research shows that therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) help people reduce pain intensity, improve coping skills, and regain a sense of control.
Psychotherapy is not about saying “the pain is in your head.” Instead, it helps retrain the brain and nervous system, reduce fear and anxiety about pain, and build strategies that allow you to move, rest, and live with more confidence. By addressing the mental and emotional side of pain, therapy supports real, measurable improvements in both pain and quality of life.
What are the Treatments for Chronic Pain?
Coaching for Chronic Pain Management
If Psyhcotherapy is not accessible for you, not to worry! Coaching is a valuable option for individuals living with chronic pain who are looking for support, accountability, and practical strategies to move forward in daily life. Unlike psychotherapy, which focuses on healing mental health concerns, chronic pain coaching is future-focused and action-oriented. Coaching can help you build the skills, routines, and confidence needed to better manage pain and live more fully.
How coaching helps with chronic pain:
Goal setting and accountability – Creating realistic, achievable goals around movement, self-care, work, or hobbies.
Lifestyle strategies – Developing routines around sleep, nutrition, pacing, and stress management that reduce flare-ups.
Mind-body techniques – Learning relaxation, breathing, and mindfulness practices that calm the nervous system.
Shifting mindset – Reframing limiting beliefs and building resilience so pain doesn’t control every decision.
Support and encouragement – Having a compassionate coach to guide you through setbacks and celebrate progress.
Coaching is especially helpful if you want to take an active role in managing your pain, but may not need or want formal psychotherapy. Many people find that combining coaching with medical care or therapy offers a balanced, whole-person approach to living well with chronic pain.
Positive Outcomes of Chronic Pain Therapy
Retrain your brain, create meaningful change, and live your life again.
With consistent effort and support in the therapeutic journey, you can experience:
Reduced pain intensity: Experience a decrease in the severity of your pain.
Improved emotional well-being: Feel more balanced and supported emotionally.
Increased functionality: Regain the ability to do everyday activities with more ease.
Enhanced self-efficacy: Build confidence in your ability to manage pain independently.
Long-term relief: Achieve lasting improvements in pain management over time.
Improved quality of life: Enjoy life more fully with better physical and mental health.
Pain Reprocessing Therapy
In Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), I help clients understand and reinterpret their pain signals, teaching techniques to shift their perception of pain from a threat to a neutral sensation. This approach aims to reduce the intensity and impact of chronic pain by retraining the brain's response to pain signals.
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) educates clients about the nature of chronic pain, emphasizing that it often persists due to maladaptive neural pathways rather than ongoing physical damage. Through mindfulness, cognitive behavioural strategies, acceptance and commitment therapy techniques, and emotional processing, PRT helps clients reframe their pain as non-threatening, reducing the brain's sensitivity to pain signals.
This approach leads to significant reductions in pain intensity, improved emotional well-being, increased functionality, and long-term relief, empowering you to manage your pain independently and enhance your overall quality of life.
How STC Therapy Works
GET TO KNOW US
Start by booking a free 15-minute consultation and assessment. If you feel we’re a good fit, we’ll schedule your first appointment to begin treatment.
WE GET TO KNOW YOU
We take the time to understand everything that makes you who you are—your experiences, struggles, joys, and what truly matters to you.
START YOUR HEALING JOURNEY
Together, we’ll create a personalized plan for ongoing support, adapting it as needed. It is important to trust the process.
Rediscover life beyond pain.
To get started, book an appointment with us via our contact form, direct email to info@stctherapy.com, or through our safe online booking by clicking the button below. If you have any questions please fill out the contact form or email us we are happy to help.
STC Therapy offers online therapy across Ontario specializing in mental health support for adults, teens, and children with scoliosis or spinal deformities.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chronic Pain Therapy
What is Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT)?
Scoliosis is a condition characterized by an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine. It can occur at any age but is most commonly diagnosed during adolescence.
How does PRT differ from other pain treatments?
Unlike traditional treatments that focus on the physical aspect of pain, PRT addresses the neural pathways and psychological factors that contribute to chronic pain. It aims to reduce pain by altering the brain's perception and interpretation of pain signals.
Who can benefit from PRT?
PRT is beneficial for individuals experiencing chronic pain, especially when the pain persists without a clear physical cause. It can be particularly effective for conditions like fibromyalgia, back pain, and other types of pain that are believed to be maintained by the brain.
What are the key techniques used in PRT?
PRT employs mindfulness, cognitive behavioral strategies, relaxation techniques, and emotional processing to help clients reframe their pain signals as non-threatening and reduce the brain's sensitivity to these signals.
How long does it take to see results with PRT?
The timeframe for seeing results can vary, but many individuals experience significant pain reduction within a few weeks to a few months of consistent therapy.
How do I know if my pain is neuroplastic?
Neuroplastic pain is often characterized by pain that persists without a clear physical cause, changes in pain intensity without a consistent pattern, and improvement with psychological interventions. A thorough assessment by a healthcare provider can help determine if your pain is neuroplastic.
What should I expect during a PRT session?
During a PRT session, you can expect to engage in discussions about your pain, participate in mindfulness and relaxation exercises, and work on cognitive and emotional techniques to reframe your pain perception.
Are there any risks or side effects of PRT?
PRT is generally safe and well-tolerated. However, like any therapy, individual experiences may vary, and it's important to work with a qualified therapist to ensure the approach is appropriate for your specific needs.