The Mind-Body Couple

8 Tips & Tricks for Brain Retraining — Rewiring the Brain Out of Chronic Pain & Illness

• Tanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson • Episode 127

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Your brain can learn safety, and that changes everything about chronic pain and illness. We’re pulling back the curtain on brain retraining—what it is, what it isn’t, and how to use it day to day without turning healing into a pressure-filled project. If you’ve ever tried a practice, felt your pain/symptom drop once, and then chased that result like a pain pill, this conversation will reset your approach in the most helpful way.

We start by defining brain retraining in clear terms and grounding it in two pillars: safe self-talk and embodiment. You’ll hear how confident, kind language reduces threat while curious attention to sensation teaches your nervous system that your body is safe. From there, we unpack eight practical principles: show and tell (reassure, then gently expose), set a short-term goal of safety and a long-term goal of desensitization, spot dysregulation early, reframe control toward your response, practice curiosity on purpose, start with safety signals, take embodiment into daily life, and stay playful so threat stays low. We also add a bonus: be consistent without turning intensity into a new problem.

Expect down-to-earth examples you can try today, like tension-and-release breathing, quick drop-ins during daily activities, and using a light touch of humor to soften vigilance. You’ll learn why chasing instant relief backfires, how “healing wins” compound, and what it looks like to build resilience with small, repeated reps instead of white-knuckling your way through symptoms. Whether you’re new to mind-body work or refining your practice, these tools will help you feel safer, calmer, and more connected as your brain unlearns pain and illness.

If this resonates, subscribe, share with someone who needs hope, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. And if you want guided support, explore consultations at painpsychotherapy.ca and our course at mbodycommunity.com.

Tanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson are therapists who treat neuroplastic pain and mind-body symptoms. They are also married! In his 20s, Tanner overcame chronic pain and a fibromyalgia diagnosis by learning his symptoms were occurring due to learned brain pathways and nervous system dysregulation. Post-healing, Tanner and Anne have dedicated their lives to developing effective treatment and education for neuroplastic pain and symptoms. Listen and learn how to assess your own chronic pain and symptoms, gain tools to retrain the brain and nervous system, and make gradual changes in your life and health!


The Mind-Body Couple podcast is owned by Pain Psychotherapy Canada Inc. This podcast is produced by Alex Klassen, who is one of the wonderful therapists at our agency in Calgary, Alberta. https://www.painpsychotherapy.ca/


Tanner, Anne, and Alex also run the MBody Community, which is an in-depth online course that provides step-by-step guidance for assessing, treating, and resolving mind-body pain and symptoms. https://www.mbodycommunity.com


Also check out Tanner's YouTube channel for more free education and practices: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Fl6WaFHnh4ponuexaMbFQ


And follow us for daily education posts on Instagram: @painpsychotherapy


Discl...

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to the Mind Body Couple podcast. I'm Tanner Murtough and I'm Ann Hampson.

SPEAKER_03:

This podcast is dedicated to helping you unlearn chronic pain and symptoms.

SPEAKER_01:

If you need support with your healing, you can book in for a consultation with one of our therapists at painpsychotherapy.ca.

SPEAKER_03:

Or purchase our online course at embodycommunity.com to access in-depth education, somatic practices, recovery tools, and an interactive community focused on healing. Links in the description of each episode. Hi everyone.

SPEAKER_01:

Hi, everybody.

SPEAKER_03:

Welcome, welcome.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome.

SPEAKER_03:

So today's episode, we're diving into a core part of the healing journey. The most common part that people associate with neuroplastic pain and symptoms, I feel a lot of the time. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

An important part.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Brain retraining.

SPEAKER_01:

Brain retraining. We all want to retrain our brain.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, yes. If you've been working to reduce your chronic pain, chronic symptoms, or just generally starting to explore some mind-body healing practices, you've probably heard of this term before. Yeah. But what does it actually mean? That's fair.

SPEAKER_01:

I think we can kind of go on brain retraining, but not really know what we're supposed to do.

SPEAKER_03:

We don't really get it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

People get the slogan, which is Schubner's book. Unlearn your pain.

SPEAKER_01:

Ah, well, that's good.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Everyone wants to unlearn pain. Totally.

SPEAKER_03:

They're like, let's retrain the brain out. So we're going to talk about what this means and how you can start to use it effectively, day to day, without pressure or perfectionism.

SPEAKER_01:

And one thing I want to say is if you're at the beginning of this journey, because this is a great place for you. Because I usually start brain retraining with people right off the bat to start kind of filling it up.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, we want to get really consistent and good at this. It takes some practice for sure. So don't get too frustrated if you're early on.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

And if you've been doing it a while, we're going to really break down how you can start to mix this up. So we'll explore what brain retraining really is, how embodiment connects mind and body, and eight practical tips to help you build consistency, curiosity, and safety in your retraining practice. Wow, you sold it really nicely there. That was smooth. That was like a smooth. I felt like a bit of like a car sales.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it was a bit like uh too much. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

It's too much. Well, you know, I was just trying to sell it.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, but we're passionate about this. And we think we should sell it because it's an important piece. So let's dive into it.

SPEAKER_03:

So what is brain retraining? I'm going to read this definition so it's very clear to people. Brain retraining means using intentional practices to reduce sensitization in the brain and nervous system, helping you calm chronic pain and symptoms over time.

SPEAKER_01:

So we want to emphasize over time and intentional practices.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes. So we have to be very intentional and it's not gonna, it's not gonna instantly fix things. No.

SPEAKER_01:

And it doesn't come, that's right, and it doesn't come through osmosis. Like there's we have to do something here.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Where people get caught is like a happy side effect of brain retraining sometimes, is you'll do a brain retraining practice and your pain'll shoot down. Yes. And I had this experience that I was like, I've solved it. This is it. And then I'll do it like 30 more times and not get that effect. So like I get why people get caught, but do not use brain retraining as this like pain medication.

SPEAKER_01:

Right. Of like, oh, okay, I have pain. This is how I reduce it. Now it can. And we hope in the long run, brain retrain training makes a difference to our overall pain. But it's not always this instant fix. And it doesn't always mean pain will shoot down the next time or supposed to shoot down all the time.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. So we kind of break down brain retraining in two categories. Yeah. They obviously overlap, but safe self-talk. Yes. So starting to assess your body and your symptoms. Recognize that they're neuroplastic, you're physically safe. Repeatedly reminding yourself you're safe with consistent, kind, and confident language.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. So this is an intentional action.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And when I talk with people about it, I talk with people about doing this consistently, which I love. Love that word.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And almost like peppering it throughout the day.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Like a great example is when I was healing, each time I notice myself having like a fear thought, despairing thought about my pain, I quickly give a safety message or give myself a piece of evidence that my symptoms are neuroplastic. Right. But I would do that like consistently multiple times an hour, and it starts to chip away. It's all that little consistency that makes a big difference.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. I like to use the example, like, say your weight training, right? You want bigger muscles. You have to be consistent, you have to do it. You might not see progress immediately, but it's over time, always working at it.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Now the second category of brain retraining we talk about is embodiment practices. Bringing calm, curious awareness to the physical sensations of the symptoms. We're trying to help your brain reappraise input signals, realizing the body is safe and healthy. So as we approach being with the pain or physical symptom, we're creating safety and curiosity with it. And connecting with your nervous system by dropping in, describing, and responding with movement, breath work, regulation practices.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. And so it's kind of recognizing, creating safety, but then creating safety in the physical part of the body as well. So somatically.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. So on my YouTube channel, I got lots of embodiment practices, brain retraining practices. You can go try them out. But what we want to focus on today is eight tips and tricks for brain retraining. So we're going to go through eight principles to keep your brain retraining steady, compassionate, and effective over time.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes.

SPEAKER_03:

Number one, show and tell.

SPEAKER_01:

Telling your brain it's safe. So letting the brain know, okay, the sensations here, whatever is going on, but actually I'm okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. But it's also showing your brain. It's showing your brain through greater exposure, slowly re-engaging in activities, movements that you've been avoiding, and approaching the sensations inside, both pleasant and unpleasant, with curiosity and not fear.

SPEAKER_01:

Aaron Powell I think this can be hard for people because I see a lot of people at times get stuck in the telling the brain it's safe, but don't want to venture into showing it's safe.

SPEAKER_03:

I know. It's scarier for most people, the showing. Yes. And telling is not going to be enough. It's an important step, but this is just our fun way of saying you need to show and tell your brain that you are safe.

SPEAKER_01:

So that means you need to tell your brain you're safe and then show your brain that you can ride that bicycle. Yes. For instance, for example.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Or you need to tell your brain it's safe, but then also be willing to approach and be with the pain or physical symptom inside. Yes. Number two, short-term versus long-term goals.

SPEAKER_01:

This is an interesting one. What do you mean by this, Tanner?

SPEAKER_03:

So the long-term goal goes without saying is desensitization, where our pain and symptoms start to reduce or become eliminated.

SPEAKER_01:

Ah, that sounds like a wonderful goal for people listening.

SPEAKER_03:

It's a wonderful long-term goal.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So long-term goal, it's important to think of it that way.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes. Short-term goal is safety.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay. So why is that so key?

SPEAKER_03:

Because if people try to make the long-term goal of reducing their symptoms, their short-term goal is going to cause a lot of pressure, control, frustration.

SPEAKER_01:

So for instance, say you're kind of moving along and you have a pain and you do maybe one of these exercises and you're frustrated that the pain isn't going down. Would that be stuck in the long-term goal?

SPEAKER_03:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

So you have to think short term. We're going through these small moments of regulation, which we call healing wins. Yeah. You get these little healing wins where you feel 2% safer, you feel 2% less frustrated. You feel like you have more of an ability to approach the sensation inside or approach a movement, even though there is pain and symptoms and it is uncomfortable. Like all these little healing wins focused on safety are going to help you get to the long-term goal of desensitization.

SPEAKER_01:

Is there an example maybe from your healing tenor where you were noticing your short-term goal and leaning into that healing win?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I fortunately, which is not normal for me, I didn't try too too much to force my pain or symptom to go away in the moment. I actually was quite good at understanding this is my goal for a year out, or whatnot. I didn't even set a date, but like this was my goal farther away. And I just need to put in these small actions. So I got really good at just noticing my fear level as I focused on pain and symptoms. And I noticed over several months that my fear level plummeted more.

SPEAKER_01:

Ah, so that would be noticing the short-term goal of safety.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, like I started to get those little healing wins, and that's ultimately a big part of why I was able to heal. Yeah. Number three, notice dysregulation. So when people learn about brain ring training, they get really focused on exploring and tracking the pain or physical symptom. Right. However, you want to understand what's the dysregulation also taking place.

SPEAKER_01:

Ah, so seeing those as maybe together, but also maybe separate things. Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_03:

Or you can like eventually people can get really good at tracking both at once. Yeah. Which I want. Because usually if you have pain or symptom, it is going to be threatening. So there's going to be some dysregulation. This could look like fear, frustration, hypervigilance, trying to fix the sensations. You can notice that urge inside to do that. You could feel low or stuck, or you could be lost in like people pleasing perfectionism. When you notice these pause, take a breath, shift towards a safety signal. Right? Like telling yourself, hey, I'm actually okay right now. This dysregulation will pass. I'm going to be able to heal from this. Or maybe you take 10 deep breaths. Or you go do some qigong moves as we talk about. Could that be back to show and tell? Yes. It it really is. Like you all those safety signals you want to tie in.

SPEAKER_01:

And sometimes you might realize I'm often in this dysregulated state. So I'm often in trying to fix the sensations away or stuck in hypervigilance or fear.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. I find that the clients I work with one-on-one, they get better over time, are really good at noticing dysregulation. Yeah. We often talk about it as drop in and describe, where you're dropping in, you're noticing what's going on in your nervous system and describing it a bit and sticking with it, being curious, create a bit of safety.

SPEAKER_01:

When that's happening, you mentioned pause and taking breath and shifting towards a safety signal. Why is that helpful for that dysregulation?

SPEAKER_03:

Because over time, what you're teaching yourself is that you can attend to dysregulation and you can learn to feel safe with it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

All those little one-minute moments that you're doing that throughout your day, they really add up.

SPEAKER_01:

And it's a shift in response. So it's like, okay, I have my dysregulated state. I'm gonna shift out of it, or I'm gonna respond differently instead of getting lost in that state.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Number four, reframe control. Control. Control. Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

We don't have control, yet we do. And we'll explain that a bit.

SPEAKER_03:

I like to pretend that I'm in control a lot of the time.

SPEAKER_01:

You say pretend. That's it.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, I've realized over time that I am pretending. If you talk to 20-year-old Tanner, he really thought he was in control.

SPEAKER_01:

That's because you were 20.

SPEAKER_03:

I was 20.

SPEAKER_01:

When you're 20, you think that a bit more.

SPEAKER_03:

I really even if you talk to like, you know, 29-year-old Tanner. He also thought he was in control when I had healed my pain by then. But now I know enough to be like, I'm pretending right now. I'm not actually in control of this.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, and we want that a little bit of opaque assemblance of acknowledging there's like we can't force it away, we can't control it away. Um, but we do have control in an area.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. So you can't control, as you're saying, your actual symptoms or when they occur. But you can always control or work towards controlling your response. Yes. Replace negative thoughts with safe self-talk. Use safety signal practices.

SPEAKER_01:

If you're confused about that or want more, we have tons of YouTube videos that talk about safety signals.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. And remember, flare-ups are temporary.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. And that's a really hard one to grasp that flare-ups are temporary. But when we can start to kind of get our head around that, there is a bit of sense of control of like, okay, this will pass. I can't control the pain and symptom, but I know I'll be okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, exactly. This is a little, we wrote a little practice here that I often do when I'm trying to control. This is what I do throughout my day. I'll explain it really quick. Uh, you can try it out after the podcast. When I notice myself starting to have that feeling, that vigilance feeling inside of control, pretending essentially to be in control. What I'll do is when I inhale, I'll tense, you know, my hands and arms. And as I exhale, I'll practice releasing and letting go.

SPEAKER_01:

And then opening up your hands.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes. So I might do that, you know, five to ten times.

SPEAKER_01:

I actually see him doing that in the day. I actually didn't quite know that's what why you're doing that.

SPEAKER_03:

That's what's happening. Yeah, anyways. Yeah. Controlling Tanner is trying to let go of his grip. Um, shake out your arms and legs, loosen up your body.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

And just small little moments to remind yourself, hey, I can relax. I'm safe right now. I don't need to have such a tense grimp on everything.

SPEAKER_01:

And back to that intention point we mentioned, we need to start doing that with intention.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Number five, we're moving through these. All right.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

We're just going and this is great.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. All right, keep going, Tanner.

SPEAKER_03:

Slowing us down and upset. You're trying to control me right now. Number five, be curious. Curiosity and fear, they cannot coexist.

SPEAKER_01:

And it's okay to force the curiousness of it. So we can't force it away, but we can pretend into curiosity.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, you might have to fake it a little bit at first. I get that. Because, you know, when you're observing sensations with curiosity, you activate this safe and connected state in your nervous system just naturally. Yes. This is why mindfulness practices have just become more and more prevalent in the therapy world, because mindfulness involves this attitude of curiosity and non-judgment. And so we want to get creative, start to describe the sensation, shape, color, size, texture. Notice how it changes moment to moments. So curiosity is key. If you're doing brain retraining and it feels like you are banging your head against a wall, it may be because you need to take steps back, simplify, and just work on being curious about a sensation.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. And visualization at this point is can be really useful. So if you like visualization, really get creative with that. Play around with that and see if that helps with curiosity.

SPEAKER_03:

I like that. Another really simple tip that I tell people is some people have a really hard time being curious about something unpleasant. So practice actually being really curious and describing something that feels pleasant or neutral inside.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I like that.

SPEAKER_03:

And then shift. Yes. Then shift to the unpleasant and try to have that same lens of curiosity. Number six. Start with a safety signal.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, so we'll get into a bit of safety signals here.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. So before any embodiment practice, where you're attending to pain and symptoms or you're starting to approach an activity, we want to begin with feeling safe and connected. Now, sometimes on a beautiful day we're having, we just might already be there. But I always tell people you're better to regulate first with a safety signal and then brain retrain.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. So I actually always start people with a calming breath. And I often will spend some time leaning into breathing and noticing what feels nice about that breath.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, like, you know, sometimes I've had people do gentle movements, qigong movements. It could be listening to music or a funny TV show beforehand, visualizing, you know, a calming person, place, animal, as they talk about in somatic experiencing. So, like all of these ways to cultivate regulation before you brain retrain. So if you're having a real hard time doing brain retraining, like it feels really dysregulating, I would rather, instead of doing a 15-minute embodiment practice where you're focusing on and just getting more and more dysregulated, I'd rather you use safety signals for 10 minutes and just practice focus on the pain and symptom after for three minutes.

SPEAKER_01:

Totally. And that still makes a difference.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, it really does. Number seven, practice embodiment informally.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and actually, this is a big one. I talk with people about this a lot. Sometimes, and maybe Tanner doesn't agree, but I almost rather people practice it informally than formally. Because I want people to be living their lives. I want people to be integrating into their day. I want people to learn how to do this on the fly.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. No, I agree with you. I agree with you. Listen, I'm I'm probably a little bit more on the formal side. However, the people that get better over time tend to start to do this informally.

SPEAKER_01:

Ah something, okay. So if you are doing this, say you're doing it really formally and you're doing it like in full meditation mode and like listening to recordings, you know, in your bedroom, and that's how you always do it. Start shifting. It's time to shift to informal practice.

SPEAKER_03:

And you can do both. Like I'm a big, you know, formal practice guy, and walked in to this morning and doing my qigong. I was doing some safety messages in my mind. I ruined it. And let our dog out, our dog jumps on me. I'm like, wow, this has gone so bad.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm just saying.

SPEAKER_03:

That's a fair point.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Go find a private space, and if you don't want the dog to jump on you.

SPEAKER_03:

I'm still upset about it.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh my God. Anyways, yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

So, like formal practices, some people they work really well, um, but some they don't. Like some people just hate meditation in general, and that's okay. I've seen people get better just using the informal, but learning for brief periods to drop in your body during everyday moments, right? Like while you're walking, while you're gardening, while you're cooking. Um, you could be playing with a pet or your child, enjoying nature, listening to music, and you just do a quick drop-in to your pain and symptoms, explore it, use some safety signals, move on. Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

And this is a way that you can keep pitting in that consistency throughout the day. And so if you're like, okay, I do it in the morning, but then I don't actually know how else to practice this, that's exactly it. Of like, I'm gonna drop in and describe and create safety every hour, every two hours, or a few times an hour, whatever, however, you want to do this.

SPEAKER_03:

And the reason I want to clarify this of why I want people to do this informally is because if you do your 15 minutes embodiment practice with pain, symptoms, nervous system state, and then you just check out from your body the rest of the day, that's not gonna be enough to heal.

SPEAKER_01:

And that's people. I think we're sometimes people can get stuck. It's like I am doing it and I'm doing it every day, but I'm just doing it for 15 minutes a day, and then that's it. No, this is a consistent practice.

SPEAKER_03:

It's like you have a body your whole day. I get why people do that, but we have to like reconnect mind and body consistently throughout the day.

SPEAKER_01:

Which brings us to point number nine, which I think we should say now, and then we'll go to eight.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, you're skipping.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, it's because our point number nine is consistency.

SPEAKER_03:

All right, Anna skips point number eight, people.

SPEAKER_01:

It's an important one. We'll get to the right.

SPEAKER_03:

She's moved to nine because it's her favorite word.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, and we're talking about consistency. And so again, this idea of consistent practice healing doesn't just happen one time. It's about kind of continuing that practice over and over. Brain rotraining, it's a root training.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, it's this repetition that matters. And I want people to be consistent, but not intense.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, this is a bonus tip. I was like, why do we have nine? Because it's eight tips.

SPEAKER_03:

I know.

SPEAKER_01:

I've messed all of us up. I was like, what? This is nine. Anyways, okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Now Anne reveals that number nine was the bonus. Me and Alex thought we were being witty. We wrote this whole script being like number nine, it says, yes, it's our bonus tip because it's important. But Ann thought it was so important that we skipped eight. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01:

Okay, so we'll go to eight.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. Number eight, be playful. We're kind of doing that right now. Yeah. There you go. Okay. Healing doesn't have to be so serious.

SPEAKER_01:

I and this is hard because well, it's been serious for a lot of people. It has. And the pain journey is serious and very difficult.

SPEAKER_03:

Lots of the parts of healing, they just are serious. You're processing trauma, you're you're moving through emotions, you're attending to pain and symptoms. So I get the seriousness. I find that a lot of people with neuroplastic pain and symptoms before they had pain, though, no, at no fault of their own, I want to be clear, this is not blameworthy, um, just made their life so serious. And I'm right in there and knows, like I can make life so serious so quick.

SPEAKER_01:

I remember, and this wasn't before pain, but I feel like I have to mention it. We've mentioned it on other podcasts. But when Tanner was in grad school, he was the most serious guy ever about doing well and completing, which many of us get to. But my God, it was so serious and intense, and it was overwhelming.

SPEAKER_03:

And you know what I became aware of like three, four months after that experience.

SPEAKER_01:

What?

SPEAKER_03:

Well, first off, that I was really dysregulated during that experience. But you're like, oh but another piece that I realized is like me trying and making it so serious. Literally didn't matter. I got a job out of school, just like most of the people in school, that like were having a great time in school. And I was like, oh, it's like such an example of like, I get it, life can be serious for lots of reasons. We don't need to be making it more serious, and that's the same with healing. So this is where playfulness comes in. Notice if a practice like starts to feel like a chore and you want to gently shift that energy. Alan Gordon does a great job, the creator of pain reprocessing therapy. He really does. And he's very intentional about why he does this, in my belief, is he uses a lot of humor. He uses a lot of humor whenever you see him do like a brain retraining and somatic tracking.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Just naturally. So like be playful. Like I've had people do, you know, embodiment work while they're playing with their dog and having fun, right?

SPEAKER_01:

A way to start this, if you're like, okay, there's no way I can be playful with my embodiment work or pain, is sometimes this will resonate for people of calling your pain a funny name.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

It like forces you, maybe just a little bit, to start being playful around the pain or healing activity.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, to give credit, this is uh Dr. Schubiner's tip. Um, but call your pain whatever you want. Fluffy pom-pom, princess.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, pom-pom's here again. Pom-pom's great.

SPEAKER_03:

That's a great name. I I called my pain Fred when I was but I wish I had called it pom-pom. That would have been so much better.

SPEAKER_01:

If you get any pain signals, you know, in the future, you call it pom-pom tanner.

SPEAKER_03:

There you go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I'll call it pom-pom as well. Yelling pom. But it kind of forces you into a bit of a laugh.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, it it just reduces the threat value. Being playful is a way that we can become regulated. And so we want to lean into this. So that was number eight. Anne already revealed number nine, our bonus tip. And that's all of our tips. So bringing it all together. You know, brain retraining is about teaching your brain safety through repetition, curiosity, and compassion. And maybe some playfulness in the mix.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

You cannot directly force your brain to unlearn pain or symptoms, but you can help guide it moment to moment towards more safety, calmness, and connection. And this is really gonna help you as you start to do this brain retraining work. So thank you everyone so much for listening.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you for listening.

SPEAKER_03:

And we'll talk to you soon.

SPEAKER_01:

Talk to you next time. Thanks for listening. For more free content, check out the links for our YouTube channel, Instagram, and Facebook accounts in the episode description.

SPEAKER_03:

We wish you all healing.