Pain & How Breathwork Can Help
The Evolution of Pain
Pain shapes the human experience in ways that are deeply personal and complex. From René Descartes proposing that pain is simply an external stimulus traveling into our brain, to the most current and intricate BioPsychoSocial model of pain—pain has evolved in our understanding. And so have the tools available to us for working with it.
Recently, I shared insights on this very topic during my TEDx talk, and I’m thrilled to announce that Breath for Pain—a science-backed course designed to help you shift your relationship with pain—is now available with $50 off for the rest of the year!
Pain is in the Brain… Body… & Heart
Per the International Association for the Study of Pain, pain is defined as "An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage." This definition was updated in 2017 to include the word "emotional" because we now know that pain is not just felt in the brain and body, but also in the heart.
Pain impacts the whole human. How pain impacts each individual in each moment varies greatly. Pain can be as sharp as stepping on a Lego, as severe as fracturing a bone, as minimal as losing a game of chess, and as heart-wrenching as losing a loved one.
The evolution of pain has made us aware that in order to address and support pain, we must support the whole human—in mind, body, heart, and spirit. Pain does not just travel from a painful stimulus to the brain, but travels through our nervous system, emotional system, and memory system, and into the neo-cortex where it is processed, felt, and understood.
So the next time you feel a physical pain, understand that it is also innately emotional. The next time you feel emotional pain, understand that it is also innately physical.
My friend and colleague Dr. Rachel Zoffness is an expert in this field! Check out this YouTube clip where she discusses her book "The Pain Management Workbook" to learn more!
Expanding this awareness of pain into all systems can bring a deeper connection to heal the pain and a greater opportunity to shift our relationship with it.
Breathwork Can Help!
Deep Breath In…… Hold…… Let It Go…… See? Doesn't that feel better?!
On a serious note, while breathwork can help, it's not a quick fix. It is a tool. To gain the benefit of breath, it takes consistent time, energy, and exploration. By expanding your awareness of breath, you will find an expansion of awareness of pain. "The cure for pain is in the pain" - Rumi
Conscious breathing, moving energy, stretching the body, releasing stress—these are all amazing ways that breathwork can support your pain experience. Notice that I say "support your pain experience" and not "heal your pain!" There is an art to working with pain.
How Breathwork Can Help!
Resetting the Nervous System
Reframing Your Perspective (Zooming Out)
Bringing Awareness to Your Body and Heart
Controlling Your Emotional Responses to Pain
Improving Your Overall Health & Wellness
Ready to Transform Your Relationship with Pain?
If you've tried medication but still find yourself managing pain, you're not alone—and you're not broken. Breath for Pain offers a practical, heart-centered approach to help you gently reconnect with your body, regulate your nervous system, and shift your experience of pain.
This science-backed course equips you with step-by-step video practices, breath assessment tools, lifetime access, and optional community support. You'll learn pain-specific breathwork techniques and strategies to navigate your experience with greater awareness, resilience, and ease.
Breath won't erase pain overnight, but it can change your relationship with it one conscious inhale at a time.
Explore Breath for Pain – $50 Off Through the End of the Year!
There are tons of breathwork techniques woven throughout the course! If you're curious about learning more or prefer personalized One-on-One Breathwork & Pain Coaching, I'm here to support your journey.
Supporting your journey beyond pain, one breath at a time.
Breath & Pain Resources
Dr. Justin Ternes - True Self Health Instagram Posts:
‣ To Get Rid of Pain, You Must Get Rid of Suffering….
‣ The Many Contributing Factors to Pain Experience
‣ How You Experience Pain is How You Experience Life
I love this TED Talk by Pain Scientist Lorimer Mosely
‣ “Why Things Hurt” (YouTube, 14.5 minutes)
Great books on pain!
‣ Making Sense of Pain - Jim Heafner & Jared Hall
‣ Healing Back Pain - Dr. John Sarno
‣ The Pain Management Workbook - Dr. Rachel Zoffness
Break free from old patterns and habits!
Ask us about our One-on-One Breathwork Coaching packages.
‣ Click here to inquire! Share what you’re looking for help, and we will set up a discovery call.
My favorite free resource: Take a breath in right now!
‣ Deep breath in. Pause. Let it go. Great job!
A Note of Gratitude
I am grateful for my path. I am grateful for my journey. I am grateful for those who guided me along the way. I am grateful for my teachers, both formal and from afar. One that sticks out as I write this is Paul Chek. He is a wise philosopher and health and wellness practitioner. He frequently speaks of pain as the “Pain Teacher”. Maestro Chek helped me re-shape my perspective of pain from being a nuisance to being a guide. For this, I am grateful.
One last deep breath in… hold… connect to gratitude…. let it go. Have a beautiful day.
— Dr. Justin Ternes & the True Self Health Team