Jayne Plante’s Story

Chronic Pain
Written By Katy McGhie

Chronic Pain

 
“I’m living proof that it’s possible. Neuroplasticity can work. If I can heal after so many years, anyone can. ”
 

    • Car accident

    • Childhood trauma leading to generalized fear state

    • Hyper-vigilance, over thinking 

    • Emotional repression 

    • Perfectionism, people pleasing 

    • Knee pain,

    • Hip pain

    • Wrist pain

    • Pelvic pain

    • Dizziness

    • Hives

    • Insomnia

    • Numbness & discolouration in fingers

    • High functioning anxiety

    • Depression

    • IBS symptoms 

    • PRT (pain reprocessing therapy)

    • Somatic tracking 

    • Meditation 

    • EAET (emotional awareness & expression therapy)

    • Nervous system regulation 

    • Vagus nerve stimulation 

  • 37 years

    • The Beginning of the Pain

      • Pain began at age 20 after a car accident.

      • Became a dental hygienist, which worsened the pain due to repetitive movements.

      • Pain spread over 37 years, affecting the back, neck, shoulders, and more.

    • Searching for Answers

      • Diagnosed with various conditions (degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, etc.).

      • Tried multiple treatments, diets, and therapies with no lasting relief.

      • Spent years and resources on medical consultations, tests, and alternative therapies.

    • The Struggle

      • Pain severely impacted daily life: limited mobility, inability to sit or stand for long, and difficulty driving.

      • Emotional toll led to withdrawal, anxiety, depression, and other health issues.

      • Began to believe that chronic pain was a permanent reality.

    • A Glimmer of Hope

      • Explored the mind-body connection through yoga, meditation, and mindfulness with modest results.

      • Discovered the concept of neuroplasticity and Alan Gordon’s book, The Way Out.

      • Realised chronic pain could be “unlearned” through changes in the brain.

    • A New Approach to Healing

      • Sought therapy with Pain Psychotherapy Canada, focusing on pain reprocessing therapy (PRT).

      • Reduced fear of pain by understanding it wasn’t caused by physical damage.

      • Used somatic tracking to engage with pain mindfully and reduce anxiety.

    • The Road to Recovery

      • Engaged in activities like biking, kayaking, and hiking to retrain the brain to feel safe.

      • Utilised Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy to process emotions and release suppressed trauma.

      • Learned to regulate the nervous system, essential for long-term recovery.

    • Living a New Life

      • Now 99% symptom-free, with occasional flare-ups managed effectively.

      • Reclaimed an active lifestyle, including hiking, pickleball, and travel.

      • Gained deeper connections with others and newfound gratitude.

    • A Message of Hope

      • Recovery from chronic pain is possible through neuroplasticity.

      • Encourages others to believe in their ability to heal and pursue this transformative path.

      • Offers a message of optimism: there’s a way out of chronic pain.

 

The Beginning of the Pain 

It all started when I was 20 years old. I was involved in a car accident where I was rear-ended by a tow truck. At the time, I didn’t think much of it – I was young, and accidents happen, right? But the pain began to creep into my life, starting with my lower back. Little did I know, this would mark the beginning of a 37-year-long journey into chronic pain. 

A few years after the accident, I became a dental hygienist. I loved my work, but it involved a lot of bending over patients, static positions, and repetitive movements. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this would only worsen the pain. Over the years, the pain started to spread from my lower back to my mid and upper back, my shoulders, neck, and eventually to the base of my skull. I kept thinking that it was all connected to the car accident and the nature of my work. 

But the pain didn’t stop there. It became more complex over time, and so did my understanding of it. 

 
 
“Despite trying so many different approaches, my life just kept getting smaller. ”
 

Searching for Answers 

I started seeing doctors – first, my family doctor, then specialists.  Over the many years I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, nerve impingement at C6C7, repetitive strain injury, and whiplash. Looking back, I now know that these diagnoses were real and true, but they weren’t the root cause of my pain. They were labels that added to the complexity, but they didn’t provide any solutions. 

Over the years, I had MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, and endless tests. I had five different family doctors during my journey with chronic pain and visited orthopaedic surgeons, neurologists, physiotherapists, chiropractors, naturopathic doctor, massage therapists, osteopaths, and acupuncturists. I even tried Reiki and athletic therapy. Along with treatments, I tried numerous diets: I gave up dairy and gluten.  I spent thousands of dollars on back braces, special pillows, obus back supports, neck brace, special cushions, athletic tape, creams. Lotions, essential oils etc etc etc. But nothing worked. 

At different points in my journey, I was prescribed medication for nerve pain, anti-inflammatory drugs, and muscle relaxants.  I reluctantly tried opioids   I also tried medical marijuana, which we have access to here in Canada. Despite trying so many different approaches, my life just kept getting smaller. 

 
“I became withdrawn, not wanting to be around people because I was afraid of them seeing the misery I was in. It was exhausting, and it only made the pain worse. ”
 
 

The Struggle 

As the pain persisted, I noticed other symptoms that made life even harder: I couldn’t sit for long periods, I couldn’t stand for still for long periods. The only place I could find comfort was lying flat on the floor. Even at work, I would sneak into the staff room between patients and lie down to try and relieve some of the pain. 

Driving became a major challenge. Long car trips meant that I had to lie flat in the back seat of the car with my seat belt on to manage my pain.  My adult son lived a 90 minute car ride away but I couldn’t even manage that.  My husband had to drive and I would be in the back seat flat out.   It wasn’t just the pain that was overwhelming – it was also the emotional toll it was taking. I became withdrawn, not wanting to be around people because I was afraid of them seeing the misery I was in. It was exhausting, and it only made the pain worse. 

I was constantly focused on managing my pain for any event or activity. The idea of trying to live life normally seemed impossible.  Although the chronic back and neck pain were my major symptoms, I also struggled with high functioning anxiety, depression, IBS symptoms, insomnia, hives, numbness and tingling in my fingers, pelvic pain, wrist pain, hip pain, knee pain, urinary frequency  After a while, I began to accept that this was just going to be my reality forever. I didn’t think there was any way out. 

 
 
“I had never heard of it before, and no doctor, specialist or body therapist had ever mentioned it to me.”
 

A Glimmer of Hope 

About ten years ago, I started thinking about the mind-body connection. I was desperate to try anything that might help, so I turned to yoga and meditation. I also did a 8 week mindfulness for stress reduction program, and I did experience some relief – maybe 10% improvement. While these approaches helped me realize that stress and emotions were exacerbating my pain, I still didn’t have a clear answer. 

 Six years ago, I had to leave my career as a dental hygienist because I could no longer tolerate the pain. I thought that being at home, away from the physical demands of my job, would offer some relief. But it didn’t. In fact, I only became more consumed by the pain. 

But then one day something incredible happened.   

 I remember it clearly – I was sitting in my physiotherapist’s office when I Googled “fear of chronic pain” on my phone. That’s when I came across Alan Gordon’s book The Way Out, and the word neuroplasticity 

I had never heard of it before, and no doctor, specialist or body therapist had ever mentioned it to me. But as I read more on the internet, something clicked. It made sense. I realized that neuroplasticity was the answer I had been searching for all those years. 

 
 
“...the pain itself started to lose its grip on me. ”
 

A New Approach to Healing 

 By the second chapter of the book, I knew this was the path I needed to follow. Neuroplasticity, the idea that the brain can change its pathways and that chronic pain can be “unlearned,” was a revelation. It wasn’t the physical damage in my body that was causing my pain – it was the way my brain had learned to process it. 

I knew this was my way out. But reading the book wasn’t enough for me, not after 37 years of engrained neural pathways in my brain.   I decided to seek professional help, so I found Pain Psychotherapy Canada, which specialized in neuroplasticity and chronic pain. I was thrilled to discover that they offered virtual appointments, so I signed up and began therapy with a therapist who had personally healed from chronic pain using neuroplasticity. 

The therapy began with PRT- pain reprocessing therapy– the goal was to reduce my fear of the pain. Once I realized that my pain wasn’t due to any ongoing physical damage, my fear started to dissipate. And with that fear gone, the pain itself started to lose its grip on me. 

 
“My nervous system had been dysregulated for so long that I didn’t even know it. ”
 
 

The Road to Recovery 

We also used the modality of somatic tracking which was transformative for me. My life had been spent mostly “in my head” – thinking about the pain and trying to manage it mentally. Somatic tracking helped me reconnect with my body and feel the pain in a more mindful, non-threatening way. Rather than avoiding the pain, I learned to sit with it, which drastically reduced my anxiety around it. 

As the weeks went on, I began to experience physical improvements. The fear of the pain was gone, and I started to engage in life again. I went back to biking, kayaking, and hiking   It wasn’t always easy, and symptoms still popped up but I was no longer afraid of the pain.   I kept doing the activities to show my brain that they were safe. Each time I did, the symptoms lessened. 

Another modality we used in therapy was Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy.  If you have any history of childhood trauma in your background like I did then this modality is a game changer for you.  It teaches you how to feel and process emotions in your body (not in your mind!)  Once you learn this technique you can then process an emotion and let it dissipate instead of suppressing it like I did my entire life. 

Through my therapy, I also learned how to regulate my nervous system, which was a crucial piece of the puzzle. My nervous system had been dysregulated for so long that I didn’t even know it. But now, I had the tools to keep it balanced, which was essential for long-term recovery. 

 
 
“I feel more connected to people than I ever did before...”
 

Living a New Life 

A year ago, my life was small. I couldn’t do much beyond managing my pain. But today, I am living a completely different life. I am 99% symptom-free. The occasional flare-up still happens, usually when I’m under emotional stress or when i am somewhere unfamiliar as my brain may still perceive this as threatening. But I now have the tools to deal with the occasional acute symptoms that I get.  

I’m hiking, kayaking, biking, and traveling – things I never thought I would be able to do again. I’ve started playing pickleball and have found new joy in everyday activities. I feel more connected to people than I ever did before, and I have a sense of gratitude for everything I’ve learned. 

 
 
“... the life on the other side of chronic pain is beyond anything you can imagine ”
 

A Message of Hope 

If you’re reading this and you’re struggling with chronic pain, I want you to know that recovery is possible. I spent 37 years living with pain, and I know how hard it can feel to believe that you can ever escape it. But I’m living proof that it’s possible. Neuroplasticity can work. If I can heal after so many years, anyone can. 

It might seem strange or difficult to believe, but trust me, if you’re open to trying, the life on the other side of chronic pain is beyond anything you can imagine. I’m so thankful I found this solution, and I want to help others find it too. There’s a way out. And you don’t have to spend the rest of your life in pain. 

Katy McGhie
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