What is neuroplasticity?
“Neurons that fire together, wire together” Carla Shatz
Neuroplasticity is your brain’s remarkable ability to adapt and change throughout life. It forms new neural connections in response to your experiences, environment, and even the thoughts and feelings you repeat. This means your brain is always learning and evolving.
Anything you do over and over—whether it’s a thought pattern, an emotional reaction, or a behavior—shapes your brain’s wiring. Some of the factors that can influence neuroplastic changes include:
Traumatic events
Chronic illness or stress
Social interactions
Meditation and relaxation practices
Emotions
Learning and paying attention
New experiences
Exercise
While some of these changes happen consciously and intentionally, many occur beneath our awareness.
How Neuroplasticity Relates to Pain
One important way neuroplasticity affects us is through a process called sensitization.
This happens when the nervous system starts to adapt negatively to repeated pain signals. Over time, it becomes more reactive and vigilant, amplifying even minor or non-painful stimuli into pain. In other words, things that used to hurt a little may now hurt a lot—and things that didn’t hurt at all might start to feel painful.
Another factor that can contribute to this process is the use of opioids. These medications, while often prescribed for pain, can lead to long-term changes in the nervous system that make pain sensitization worse over time.
Central Sensitization and Beyond
This heightened sensitivity doesn’t just apply to pain. It can also affect how you perceive other sensations:
Smell
Touch
Vision
Sound
Taste
It can also make you more sensitive to emotional states like distress, anxiety, fear, and stress.
In short, through neuroplasticity, your brain can become highly skilled at producing pain and amplifying your sensitivity.
The Good News: Neuroplasticity Also Makes Healing Possible
But here’s the hopeful part: the same neuroplasticity that wires these pain pathways can also unwire them.
Your brain can learn new patterns. You can intentionally guide this process to reduce pain and reclaim greater well-being.
If you’d like to learn more about how neuroplasticity shapes pain—and how you can use it for healing—stay tuned for the next entry.