Is Your Pain Or Illness Not Fully Explained Or Not Improving As Expected?
You’re in the right place.
Disease or Injury are Not the Only Causes of Pain or Illness.
The brain can generate real symptoms when high levels of stress are not fully recognized. This occurs in many people with strong, healthy minds, affecting one in six adults and one in three primary care patients.
How does the brain do this? Research shows changes in the nerve pathways in the brain. These occur in people with stress, trauma, and repressed emotions that often are linked to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).
Fortunately, new research shows Pain Relief Psychology achieves far better relief of pain and illness than older approaches.
Could any of this apply to you? A good place to start is with our Self-Assessment Quiz.
Try Taking our Self-Assessment Quiz
The more questions to which you answer “Yes”, the more likely it is that the resources on this website will help you.
What are Psychophysiologic Disorders?
Psychophysiologic disorders (PPD) are stress-related, brain-generated pain or illness. Even people who handle stress well can have PPD. This occurs when the stress is not fully recognized. The resulting symptoms are completely real. That is why the term we use is a blend of Psychology (the processes of the mind) and Physiology (the processes of the body).
Conditions such as chronic pain (not linked to damage or disease), migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue, and pelvic pain syndromes are just a few of the dozens of very real conditions that can be caused or made worse by PPD.
The good news is that after years of clinical research, the new Pain Relief Psychology is relieving PPD, not merely helping people live with it. The keys to this new approach are:
Reassurance that the body is not damaged or diseased in PPD
Uncovering sources of stress that might not have been fully recognized
Successfully treating those stresses, some of which link to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
COMMON PPD SYMPTOMS
Welcome to our guide to Psychophysiologic Disorders (PPD). These manifest uniquely in each individual, but the most common forms are the subject of this page.
Fibromyalgia
Learn more about the PPD contribution to widespread muscle pain.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Learn more about the how the brain plays a part in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
CRPS
Learn more about the role of the brain in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.
Back or Sciatic Pain
Discover how addressing PPD can help relieve back or sciatic pain.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Learn about the intricate relationship between stress and the gut.
Interstitial Cystitis
Explore how addressing and recognizing PPD can lead to relief.
Headache and Migraine
Explore how addressing and recognizing PPD can lead to relief.
Long Covid
Evidence is growing that PPD plays a role in this common condition.
Pelvic Pain
Learn more about the PPD contribution to pelvic pain.
PPDA Patient Interviews
These remarkable stories are about strong, capable people who were afflicted with chronic pain, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia or myalgic encephalitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. They explain clearly how Pain Relief Psychology was used to overcome their pain or illness.
Catherine Oxenberg
In this enlightening interview, David Clarke MD converses with Hollywood actress, author and activist Catherine Oxenberg about her personal journey with physical symptoms that lacked a biomedical explanation. Catherine openly discusses her experience with stress-induced pain, shedding light on this complex condition. Their discussion provides valuable insights into diagnosis and successful treatment, aiming to help others who are facing similar challenges.
Aoife Mccormack
From a young age, Aoife experienced stomach and bowel problems, pain, and fevers with no clear medical explanation. Despite seeking help from medical clinicians, alternative health practitioners, and mental health professionals her symptoms worsened over the years, leading to a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome and fibromyalgia. However, it wasn't until she discovered the mind-body connection that she began to find relief.
Lee Canter
After over seven years of being almost bedridden with migraines, consulting with numerous medical professionals, and getting no help from traditional biomedical treatments, Lee Canter was cured of his symptoms using an innovative psychophysiologic treatment approach. In this enlightening interview, David Clarke MD and Lee share their insightful personal experiences and explain how stress and different psychological factors can contribute to these disorders.
Charli
Meet Charli, a 24-year-old biochemistry student from London, who shares her moving story of recovery from over two years of chronic pain. She describes the science behind the ‘mindbody’ approach to calming her nervous system, and her hopes that medical practitioners will start to bring the vital link between emotions and physical symptoms more into their practice. This story is presented
Living Proof.
Fiona
Presented by Living Proof, this captivating short film delves into Fiona's remarkable journey. For 14 years, Fiona battled with ME/Chronic Fatigue, until she embarked on a transformative path to recovery through scientific insights. What she uncovered was profound: her symptoms were intricately tied to her brain and nervous system. By harnessing an array of mind-body tools and techniques, Fiona achieved a complete reversal of her symptoms, reclaiming an active life.
Penny & Louise
The stories of Penny and Louise illustrate that Myalgic Encephalitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) can happen even to people who are physically and mentally strong and healthy. Penny experienced ME/CFS until the PPD approach transformed her life, leading her to found "Living Proof", an organization advocating for this life-altering method. Louise, a teacher with severe ME/CFS for eight years, also successfully embraced the mind-body strategy for recovery. Links to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are discussed.
FAQs
What are Psychophysiologic Disorders (PPD)?
PPD consists of pain or illness not caused by disease or injury. Instead, the pain or illness is generated by the brain because of stress. The pain can be as severe as that from any other cause. Common types of PPD are fibromyalgia, spine pain or migraine. Other PPD symptoms are insomnia, fatigue, dizziness, or bowel, stomach, or bladder problems and many more. Recent research has confirmed that recognizing and treating past or present stresses can alleviate PPD.
Could I have PPD even though I don’t have much stress in my life?
Many people are under far more stress than they recognize. For example, being a perfectionist, putting pressure on yourself, putting others’ needs ahead of your own or having a childhood that you would not want your own child to experience often generate more stress than is apparent.
How are PPD symptoms generated?
The symptoms of PPD are caused by altered nerve pathways in the brain that affect the body. Most of us are familiar with physical reactions to stress such as a tension headache, blushing with embarrassment or a “knot” in the belly. PPD is a more severe and long-lasting form of this normal phenomenon.
I have back pain and doctors told me that I degenerated and bulging discs. Can I still have PPD?
Research has shown that as people age, it is common to develop entirely painless bulges, herniations, or degeneration of the spinal discs. In other words, these “abnormalities” reflect the normal aging process. These findings are rarely the source of pain unless there is definite evidence of nerve damage corresponding to the location of the disc abnormality. Thousands of people have relieved their back pain with a PPD approach despite age-related disc changes.
Can Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Migraines, or back pain be considered PPD symptoms?
These conditions (and many others) result from a change in function of the body rather than an abnormal organ or damaged structure. PPD is often a significant factor in these conditions. (If you are uncertain about your own illness, ask your physician if you might benefit from an evaluation of stress in your life or take the Self-Assessment Quiz.)
How common is it for stress to cause physical symptoms?
Studies have shown that, of patients seen by primary care doctors, more than one in three have pain or illness not caused by disease or injury. Stress is the cause of the symptoms in most of these patients.
Are PPD symptoms real or imaginary?
The symptoms are real and can be just as severe as those from any other disease. Some patients with PPD are ill enough to be hospitalized or have endured their condition for years or decades.
Is good treatment available for PPD?
Recent research has confirmed that recognizing and treating past or present stresses can alleviate PPD even when severe
pain or illness has been present for years.