By Devon Hornby, LMT, ABT
Chronic pain isn’t just about the original injury or condition—it’s often about the body’s adaptation to it.
Whether the cause was physical or emotional, our nervous systems respond to pain or threat by creating patterns of protection: tension, guarding, altered movement, or shutdown. Over time, these protective patterns can become fixed, even long after the original event has passed.
This is why chronic pain can linger for years—even after healing has technically occurred. The body is still behaving as if the danger or injury is present.
In this way, chronic pain is a form of trauma. It’s not the event itself that causes the lasting impact, but the way our system holds onto it.
The work of healing, then, is not just about treating tissue—it’s about gently unwinding these fixations and helping the body realize the threat is no longer here.
Through body-centered therapies like manual therapy, somatic education, and Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, we create the conditions for the body to return to the present moment, where healing becomes possible.
When we listen to the body—not try to override it—we open a path to deep, sustainable relief.