Pain reprocessing therapy – rethinking pain : A new psychotherapeutic approach for the treatment of chronic pain

Schmerz. 2025 Jun 16. doi: 10.1007/s00482-025-00889-3. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Chronic pain affects millions of people worldwide. Nociplastic pain in particular, characterized by central sensitization and a dysfunctional alarm system, requires innovative therapeutic approaches.

OBJECTIVE: This review introduces pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) as a promising psychotherapeutic approach to specifically disrupt the pain-fear-pain cycle. The theoretical background, practical implementation, and effectiveness, evidence, and feasibility of this new therapeutic method for treating nociplastic conditions are described and discussed.

RESULTS: PRT enables patients to develop a new understanding of pain and break the pain-fear-pain cycle. Studies and clinical experience demonstrate that this method can achieve a significant reduction in pain intensity.

DISCUSSION: PRT provides an innovative framework for treating chronic pain by combining evidence-based methods and enhancing patient self-efficacy. It has the potential to integrate the biopsychosocial model more effectively into practice and transform the paradigm of pain therapy. Challenges include the diagnostic differentiation of nociplastic pain, the required paradigm shift, and the need for training and time resources. However, studies show promising results for sustainable, patient-centered pain therapy.

PMID:40522393 | DOI:10.1007/s00482-025-00889-3