Pain Speak

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In this solo episode, I explore Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), a novel approach to managing chronic pain that focuses on changing the brain's interpretation of pain signals. I compare PRT with existing therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), discussing the neuroscience behind pain and the effectiveness of PRT. The episode emphasizes the importance of understanding pain as a complex emergent interplay of neurological and psychological factors, advocating for an integrated approach to pain management that includes PRT alongside traditional therapies.

Takeaways

Chronic pain may not indicate physical damage but a nervous system issue.
PRT offers a new perspective on pain management.
Changing the brain's interpretation of pain can lead to recovery.
PRT is gaining attention due to its potential effectiveness.
The nervous system plays a crucial role in chronic pain.
Evidence supports PRT's effectiveness in specific pain populations.
PRT differs fundamentally from CBT and ACT in approach.
Predictive processing theory explains how the brain perceives pain.
PRT can lead to significant reductions in pain intensity.
Integrating various therapies can enhance pain management outcomes.
Keywords

Pain Reprocessing Therapy, Chronic Pain, Neuroscience, CBT, ACT, Predictive Processing, Pain Management, Pain Neuroscience, Emotional Awareness, Therapy Techniques

Disclaimer:
This podcast is for education and general information only and does not replace personalised medical advice. If you are experiencing ongoing pain or distress, please consult your healthcare professional.
Please provide a feedback and comments on the podcast and any questions that you may have.

If you enjoyed it please rate and leave a review on Spotify/Apple podcasts and tell a friend about this show.

The Pain Speak podcast is presented by Prof Deepak Ravindran, a NHS Consultant specialising in Pain and Lifestyle Medicine. Dr Ravindran is also the author of the book, 'The Pain Free Mindset'

Get in touch:
Twitter: @deepakravindra5
Instagram: drdeepakravindran
Website: www.deepakravindran.co.uk
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/DrDeepakRavindran
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@drdeepakravindran5361
For Clinical Queries and consultations, please go to Berkshire Pain Clinic

Order a copy of the Pain Free Mindset here

For Season 1 and 3:
Mixed and edited by Rob Cao at...

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 In this deeply human episode of PainSpeak, I’m joined by Fiona Symington, who shares her lived experience of chronic fatigue and persistent pain symptoms — and, importantly, what recovery felt like from the inside and what pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) meant to her. 
This is not a conversation about quick fixes, techniques, or “getting it right.” Instead, Fiona gently walks us through the emotional and nervous-system journey of living in a body that no longer felt safe, predictable, or trustworthy. We explore the early signs that something was wrong, the impact of not being believed, and how fear, hypervigilance, and constant symptom-monitoring can quietly become part of the suffering itself. 
Fiona reflects on the slow, often non-linear shifts that marked her path toward healing — moments of understanding, softening, and rebuilding trust rather than pushing or fixing. Together, we talk about identity, grief, and the unexpected challenges of recovery, including how unfamiliar safety can feel after long-term illness. 
This episode is especially for anyone who feels exhausted by trying, overwhelmed by advice, or quietly worried they’re “behind” in their healing. Fiona’s story offers reassurance rather than instruction, and hope without pressure — a reminder that recovery does not begin with effort or perfection, but often with understanding, compassion, and a nervous system learning that it is no longer under threat. This conversation is shared as one person’s experience, not medical advice, and listeners are encouraged to listen gently, at their own pace. I am really gratefu to Fiona for her time and deeply impressed that she is now training to be a clinical psychologist in order to do the research and help people like her. 
You can learn more about Fiona by checking her out on X @fionas_Story and Instagram @Fionas_Story

Disclaimer:
This podcast is for education and general information only and does not replace personalised medical advice. If you are experiencing ongoing pain or distress, please consult your healthcare professional.
Please provide a feedback and comments on the podcast and any questions that you may have.

If you enjoyed it please rate and leave a review on Spotify/Apple podcasts and tell a friend about this show.

The Pain Speak podcast is presented by Prof Deepak Ravindran, a NHS Consultant specialising in Pain and Lifestyle Medicine. Dr Ravindran is also the author of the book, 'The Pain Free Mindset'

Get in touch:
Twitter: @deepakravindra5
Instagram: drdeepakravindran
Website: www.deepakravindran.co.uk
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/DrDeepakRavindran
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@drdeepakravindran5361
For Clinical Queries and consultations, please go to Berkshire Pain Clinic

Order a copy of the Pain Free Mindset here

For Season 1 and 3:
Mixed and edited by Rob Cao at...

Send a text

What if chronic pain isn’t a sign of damage — but a learned alarm the nervous system can unlearn?
In this episode of PainSpeak, I’m joined by Caroline Davies, a specialist pain physiotherapist with over 25 years of experience working across the NHS, the US healthcare system, and now in independent practice in the UK. Caroline’s work sits at the cutting edge of modern pain care, blending deep physiotherapy expertise with contemporary neuroscience and emotion-focused therapies.
Together, we explore one of the most important — and often misunderstood — shifts happening in pain medicine today: the move from viewing chronic pain purely as a problem of tissue damage, to understanding it as a problem of persistent threat signalling in the brain and nervous system.
From Physiotherapy to Pain Reprocessing Therapy - This episode follows close on the heels of the Channel 4 documentary on 8th Jan featuring Dr. Rangan Chatterjee - The drug Free doctor as he interviewed a patient with chronic pain who had used Pain Reprocessing therapy to reduce her pain significantly. Of course this has given us the chance to understand in more detail what PRT is and isnt!!
About Caroline Davies
Caroline began her career in traditional musculoskeletal physiotherapy, working extensively with complex pain presentations including CRPS, pelvic pain, cancer-related pain, and trauma-associated pain. Over time, she noticed a familiar pattern many clinicians will recognise: people whose scans looked “reassuring,” whose tissues had healed, yet whose pain continued — sometimes worsening — despite doing everything they were told.
In this conversation, We talk candidly about the limits of conventional approaches, the frustration clinicians can feel when progress stalls, and the curiosity that eventually led her to train in Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET), and more recently, Internal Family Systems-informed approaches.
As always on PainSpeak, the aim is not to tell you what to think — but to help you understand pain differently, so that change becomes possible.
Disclaimer:
This podcast is for education and general information only and does not replace personalised medical advice. If you are expe
Disclaimer:
This podcast is for education and general information only and does not replace personalised medical advice. If you are experiencing ongoing pain or distress, please consult your healthcare professional.
Please provide a feedback and comments on the podcast and any questions that you may have.

If you enjoyed it please rate and leave a review on Spotify/Apple podcasts and tell a friend about this show.

The Pain Speak podcast is presented by Prof Deepak Ravindran, a NHS Consultant specialising in Pain and Lifestyle Medicine. Dr Ravindran is also the author of the book, 'The Pain Free Mindset'

Get in touch:
Twitter: @deepakravindra5
Instagram: drdeepakravindran
Website: www.deepakravindran.co.uk
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/DrDeepakRavindran
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@drdeepakravindran5361
For Clinical Queries and consultations, please go to Berkshire Pain Clinic

Order a copy of the Pain Free Mindset here

For Season 1 and 3:
Mixed and edited by Rob Cao at...

Send a text
My guest for this episode is Professor Denis Martin, Professor of Rehabilitation. He is Director of the Centre for Rehabilitation, Lifestyle medicine and Human performance at Teesside university. With academic roots at the University of Ulster and Napier University, he forged an impressive career spanning roles at Sheffield Hallam University and Queen Margaret  University, Edinburgh. During his time in Scotland, he also served as a chair of the pain association, Scotland and vice chair of the Scottish Parliament cross party group. He is renowned for his research in pain, disability and rehabilitation, and has over £25 million pounds secured in funding and an extensive publication record. Prof. Martin has led significant projects, exploring the use of extended reality and digital technologies and rehabilitation, and he currently serves as the vice chair of the XR for rehab network and leads a research theme on physical, mental and social health in the Applied Research collaboration (ARC) NENC area of NE England.
The focus of this episode is the Citizens' Jury Report that Denis has led on at the North East Nprth Cumbria. This is going to be officially released on 13th Nov 2025 at NewCastle. 
More information of the work of HINENC is available here at https://healthinnovationnenc.org.uk/what-we-do/improving-population-health/medicines-optimisation/citizens-jury-pain-management/
A summary report is available at https://healthinnovationnenc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/CIT-JURY-SUMMARY.pdf
The link to the event on 13th November and further details on how to register can be found by clicking below
https://healthinnovationnenc.org.uk/event/citizens-jury-on-pain-management/

Disclaimer:
This podcast is for education and general information only and does not replace personalised medical advice. If you are experiencing ongoing pain or distress, please consult your healthcare professional.
Please provide a feedback and comments on the podcast and any questions that you may have.

If you enjoyed it please rate and leave a review on Spotify/Apple podcasts and tell a friend about this show.

The Pain Speak podcast is presented by Prof Deepak Ravindran, a NHS Consultant specialising in Pain and Lifestyle Medicine. Dr Ravindran is also the author of the book, 'The Pain Free Mindset'

Get in touch:
Twitter: @deepakravindra5
Instagram: drdeepakravindran
Website: www.deepakravindran.co.uk
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/DrDeepakRavindran
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@drdeepakravindran5361
For Clinical Queries and consultations, please go to Berkshire Pain Clinic

Order a copy of the Pain Free Mindset here

For Season 1 and 3:
Mixed and edited by Rob Cao at...

Send a text
My guest for todays episode is Lee Vaughn, a lived experience Expert and Health and Well Being Coach. 
Lee has navigated over 30 years living with persistent pain, transforming his experience into a source of advocacy, education, and hope. After decades of personal exploration, He now works with leading organisations like Peak Health Coaching, Pure Unity Health, UKIHCA, the NHS, Flippin Pain, and Pain Concern, helping bridge the gap between healthcare professionals and those living with pain. As host of a thriving online peer support group "Partnering Pain" , they champion the importance of lived experience in pain conversations, striving to ensure others feel less alone and more empowered on their own journeys.
www.facebook.com/share/u1de7KoaFW9rSkzo
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lee-vaughan-ba696a29a/

Disclaimer:
This podcast is for education and general information only and does not replace personalised medical advice. If you are experiencing ongoing pain or distress, please consult your healthcare professional.
Please provide a feedback and comments on the podcast and any questions that you may have.

If you enjoyed it please rate and leave a review on Spotify/Apple podcasts and tell a friend about this show.

The Pain Speak podcast is presented by Prof Deepak Ravindran, a NHS Consultant specialising in Pain and Lifestyle Medicine. Dr Ravindran is also the author of the book, 'The Pain Free Mindset'

Get in touch:
Twitter: @deepakravindra5
Instagram: drdeepakravindran
Website: www.deepakravindran.co.uk
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/DrDeepakRavindran
Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@drdeepakravindran5361
For Clinical Queries and consultations, please go to Berkshire Pain Clinic

Order a copy of the Pain Free Mindset here

For Season 1 and 3:
Mixed and edited by Rob Cao at...