Chronic pain persists when the alarm system stays switched on

Chronic Pain Explained: Why Rest and Willpower Don't Fix It

Understanding pain as a biopsychosocial process can replace blame and narrow treatment goals with strategies that improve function and quality of life.

3 key takeaways

1Chronic pain can continue after physical healing because the nervous system remains sensitized and protective alarms stay active.
2Rest and willpower alone cannot resolve persistent pain; pacing, movement, relaxation, connection, and balanced thinking support recovery.
3Effective care addresses mood, trauma, relationships, finances, and function alongside symptoms, while patients advocate for personalized treatment.

Don't miss

Dr. Mirgain turns the episode’s argument into an actionable plan: prepare for flare days, pace limited energy, and communicate functional goals in care.

The brief

Clinical psychologist Dr. Shilagh Mirgain challenges chronic-pain myths, including the idea that symptoms are imagined, caused by weak will, or solved by bed rest.

Acute pain warns of injury, but chronic pain can behave like a broken alarm that keeps firing after healing, shaped by biology, mood, relationships, and stress.

Medical invalidation and invisible symptoms can deepen suffering, while relaxation, pacing, movement, social connection, and balanced thinking offer practical ways to regain control.

The biopsychosocial model shifts treatment away from chasing a pain score alone and toward function, meaning, quality of life, and personalized whole-health care.

The episode’s most useful turn is practical: prepare flare plans, communicate limits through spoon theory, and enter medical visits with questions and functional goals.

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