How I Overcame Chronic Pain with PRT and Yoga Therapy: A Personal Story

Photo by Eneko Uruñuela on Unsplash

Have you ever felt trapped in a body that seems to betray you daily? I lived that reality for years—until I discovered the unexpected path to healing.

The Invisible Prison of Chronic Pain

Every morning, I'd wake up to the same familiar ache. My body had become a prison, and pain was my relentless guard. I stretched. I adjusted. I searched desperately for relief. Like many chronic pain sufferers, I was convinced there must be a physical solution to what I believed was a purely physical problem.

I was wrong.

The Breaking Point: When Everything Changed

I didn’t see it coming. My life had taken a series of unexpected turns - I had moved from France to Scotland with my husband, leaving behind my business, my community, and everything familiar. I arrived in a city where I knew no one. I was starting over. Then, just as I was trying to find my footing, my marriage collapsed.

I told myself I was okay. I convinced myself that this was the right decision. But the body doesn’t lie.

Out of nowhere, I developed pain—first in my lower back, then in my wrist. It didn’t seem to follow any pattern, and no injury explained it. I sought help. The osteopath I saw examined me and, after some testing, said something unexpected: “I don’t think there’s anything structurally wrong with you. Could stress be playing a role?”

I dismissed the idea immediately. I was fine. I was strong.

Chasing a Physical Fix for an Emotional Problem

I continued my search. I saw a chiropractor. I tried different therapies. I did everything I knew as a yoga therapist, using movement, breathwork, and relaxation techniques. But the pain persisted. If anything, it worsened.

Then the pandemic hit. I was alone, isolated for weeks. At first, it felt like a pause—a moment to breathe. But my pain escalated. The more I tried to ‘fix’ it, the more it seemed to fight back.

Then something strange happened: I got COVID. And for the first time in months, my pain disappeared. As I recovered, the pain slowly returned. I knew something was going on beyond the physical. I just didn’t know what.

Discovering a New Approach

One day, while listening to a podcast about emotions, I heard a book recommendation: The Way Out by Alan Gordon. It introduced me to Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) - a method based on the idea that chronic pain, in many cases, is neuroplastic. That is, it’s the result of the brain misinterpreting safe sensations as dangerous ones.

I was sceptical but intrigued. Could it really be possible that my pain wasn’t due to structural damage but instead to an overactive pain system? And if so, could I rewire it?

I started practicing the techniques in the book - somatic tracking, reframing, and using safety messages. But I quickly realised I needed guidance. I sought the help of a therapist trained in PRT, and that’s when everything started to shift.

The Missing Link: Yoga and Emotional Healing

As I worked through PRT, I started recognising something I had ignored for years—my emotions. I had spent my entire life intellectualising my feelings, convincing myself that my past wasn’t that bad, that I had moved on. But my body had held onto the stress, the fear, the unresolved tension.

I began to see the connections between my pain and my personal history. Growing up with an alcoholic father, I had learned to stay on high alert, constantly scanning for danger. That hyper-vigilance didn’t just disappear when I became an adult. It shaped my nervous system, keeping me in a state of fight-or-flight, which kept my pain alive.

This was where yoga therapy came in. Not the stretching, not the poses, but the deeper practice - interoception (tuning into the body’s sensations), breath awareness, and nervous system regulation. Through yoga, I started learning how to feel safe in my body again. I stopped trying to fight the pain and instead built a new relationship with it.

Healing Didn’t Happen Overnight—But It Happened

There was no ‘aha’ moment where my pain suddenly vanished. Instead, there were gradual shifts. Days where I noticed less pain. Moments where I caught myself moving without fear. Small victories that built on each other.

Through PRT, I learned that pain is not just about tissue—it’s about perception, fear, and safety. Through yoga therapy, I discovered how to create safety in my body, how to release tension without forcing it, and how to trust movement again.

I now live pain-free. Not because I ‘fixed’ myself, but because I stopped seeing pain as something broken that needed fixing. I retrained my brain. I reclaimed trust in my body. I found healing through both science and self-awareness.

Why I Now Help Others

This journey led me to train in Pain Reprocessing Therapy. It deepened my understanding of how PRT and yoga therapy can work together to support people struggling with chronic pain. I know what it’s like to feel trapped in pain, to search endlessly for answers, and to wonder if things will ever get better.

If you are feeling lost in your own pain journey, know that change is possible. Your pain is real, and there are approaches that may help you reframe it and regain a sense of control. You do not have to navigate this alone.

If my story resonates with you, I invite you to reach out. I offer free 30-minute consultations where we can explore how PRT and Yoga therapy may support your pain recovery journey. There is no pressure - just a conversation about what might be possible for you.