Chronic Pain

Pain is one of several sensory systems that keep us apprised of the status of our bodies. As we hurry through our daily lives, we usually view pain at the very least as an inconvenience, if not a major disruption. Though our pain sensors are essential and they provide a useful warning to pay attention to a given area. The longer someone has been experiencing their pain, the more the brain has become ingrained in ways of perceiving and handling that pain. For chronic pain, neurofeedback can help reduce it by helping how the brain manages the sensation of pain, even in severe cases. It helps the brain find new neural pathways that strengthen it and help it to be more resilient.

Here’s an excellent article:

New Hope for Sufferers of Chronic Pain [pdf]
by Siegfried Othmer, PhD

ABSTRACT
Pain is one of several sensory systems that keep us apprised of the status of our bodies. As we hurry through our daily lives, we usually view pain at the very least as an inconvenience, if not a major disruption. It’s fortunate that we have our pain sensors-they provide a valuable warning to us that we need to stop and take care of ourselves.

Here is some research on Pain and Neurofeedback:

Neurofeedback Treatment for Pain Associated with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I [abs.]
by Jensen MP Ph.D., Grierson C R.N., Tracy-Smith V Ph.D., Bacigalupi SC M.A., Othmer SF Ph.D.

ABSTRACT
If an individual can learn to directly control activation of localized regions within the brain, this approach might provide control over the neurophysiological mechanisms that mediate behavior and cognition and could potentially provide a different route for treating disease.

Control Over Brain Activation and Pain Learned by Using Real-Time Functional MRI [pdf]
by deCharms RC, Maeda F, Glover GH, Ludlow D, Pauly JM, Soneji D, Gabrieli JD, Mackey SC

ABSTRACT
If an individual can learn to directly control activation of localized regions within the brain, this approach might provide control over the neurophysiological mechanisms that mediate behavior and cognition and could potentially provide a different route for treating disease.