Working with the Nervous System to Reduce Chronic Pain
Dear Friends,
I had the great privilege of receiving a craniosacral therapy session this week from my esteemed colleague and friend, Ilene Antelman, the Somatic Detective. As I settled into her warm and non-judgmental presence, the tension my body’s been holding since last month’s lung surgery began to soften and release. I was reminded why I became a Craniosacral therapist in the first place. I just needed that sense of safety and healing for my nervous system to modulate and my engine to purr.
That surgery and its sequelae have me reflecting on the deep and sometimes elusive relationship between the health of the nervous system and the experience of chronic pain. In my practice, as in my life, I have witnessed how chronic discomfort can shape our days, distort our inner landscape, and challenge our sense of ease. And I’ve also seen how gentle, attuned support for the nervous system softens the pain and opens new pathways of relief and renewal.
From our earliest beginnings in the womb, the nervous system is one of the first to take shape. In embryological development, the neural tube forms and eventually becomes the brain and spinal cord—the very core of our communication and regulation. This intricate system is influenced by our earliest experiences, even before birth, setting the stage for how we respond to stress, pain, and comfort throughout our lives. Understanding this foundational aspect helps us appreciate why nervous system health is so central to our overall well-being, especially when it comes to chronic pain.
The nervous system is our own intricate communication network —sending and receiving messages of safety and connection, but, when pain is persistent, the messages become alarms and raise our tension levels. Chronic pain is rarely if ever about one area of the body; often, it is our nervous system’s attempt to protect something and to communicate our unmet needs. When ignored, these signals amplify over time, keeping our bodies in a constant loop of discomfort, fatigue, and sometimes depression.
This is where craniosacral therapy can offer relief through its individual and gentle approach. In Biodynamic Craniosacral Sessions, we invite the nervous system to shift from its hypervigilant, protective state (“fight or flight”) toward the secure and restful state that allows for repair and integration. By working with the body’s natural rhythms—rhythms that trace back to our embryological origins—craniosacral therapy helps the nervous system rediscover a sense of safety and balance. Clients frequently share that after a session, even longstanding pain may feel different—less sharp, more manageable, or sometimes, simply gone. This is the gentle work of encouraging a system in distress to rediscover its own resources for balance and ease.
Chronic Pain is More Than Physical
If you have experienced ongoing pain, you know how much it affects not only the body, but also our thoughts, feelings, and energy and can leave us feeling isolated and out of sorts with ourselves. Yet, with gentle, nonjudgmental attention, the body can begin to distinguish between the memory of injury and the present moment’s reality.
In practice, simple shifts—mindful breath, attuned touch, and even small, gentle movements—bring the body new experiences of safety and comfort. Over weeks and months, these shifts accumulate, laying down new patterns for the nervous system, and easing the persistent grip of pain.