Mind Body Syndrome - When the Body Speaks

Vanessa Kredler Author

Mind Body Syndrome, also known as neuroplastic pain, describes chronic pain or other bodily symptoms that arise from suppressed emotions.

I’ve recently been studying Mind Body Syndrome and neuroplastic pain.

Neuroplastic pain is a type of chronic pain that arises from changes in the nervous system itself, rather than from tissue damage or injury. It occurs when the brain and nervous system become overly sensitive to pain signals, even when there is no ongoing tissue damage. This can lead to a cycle of pain, heightened sensitivity and a range of chronic conditions such as insomnia, IBS, chronic fatigue, low back pain, to name but a few.

I’m studying this because I’m personally on the journey of exploring the various chronic aches and pains and symptoms that my body generates. I also have a fascination with the correlation of the tragic fates of my ancestors up to 4 generations back, my own past, what dynamics present in my life right now, and how my body speaks to me. I seem to carry a lot of ancestral trauma, which seems to sit in my bones, in every cell of my body. Some of it has cleared through a lot of ancestral healing work and some of it still needs more work.

If you’re also fascinated by ancestral and intergenerational healing I recommend reading It Didn’t Start With You by Mark Wolynn.

Every symptom has a story

As usual in my practice, my journey correlates directly with the experiences of many of my clients recovering from addiction and trauma. I see it again and again. It’s rare that I don’t notice a chronic health issue on an intake form; migraines, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia, and the list goes on…Many have been through every medical test imaginable, only to be told there’s “nothing wrong” in the physical sense. And yet, the pain and those symptoms are undeniably real. I myself have spent thousands of dollars on medical tests, naturopaths, bodyworkers, traditional healers, and any type of therapy I could get my hands on, and I still do all of those things.

Over the years, being on my own journey with this, I’ve learned to listen to my clients differently. When a client tells me about their aching shoulders or the tension in their jaw, I hear more than a symptom. I hear a story. Often, it’s the story of emotions they’ve never felt safe enough to feel. Grief that’s been locked away. Anger that’s been swallowed for decades. Fear that has lived in the body since childhood.

In addiction and trauma recovery, this is especially common. For so long, the nervous system has been in survival mode — scanning for threats, bracing against impact, holding the body tight as a shield. Substances, food, or other compulsive behaviours can become the tools to numb, to push down what feels unbearable. But somehow, always, the body finds a way to speak to us. And often, it speaks in the language of pain.

This isn’t “all in your head”. The pain is real. The brain and body are in constant conversation, and what we call “mind body syndrome” is the result of danger signals being generated not by injury, but by unresolved emotional distress. Neuroscience now shows that the brain can create very real physical symptoms when it perceives — consciously or unconsciously — that we’re still in danger, even when no physical threat is present.

These neural circuits are like well-worn paths in the brain, strengthened over time by what Dr. Howard Schubiner describes as the “six Fs”: fear, focus, fighting, frustration, trying to figure out, and trying to fix the symptoms. Ironically, the more we fight our pain, the more deeply these circuits are reinforced.

Healing Mind Body Syndrome

Sometimes, simply understanding that the pain is brain-generated — and not evidence of structural damage — is enough to loosen its grip. Others find relief through neural circuit retraining, or Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), which teaches the brain and body to feel safe again. And for many people, recognising that past stress or trauma planted the seeds for MBS — and that their current life is no longer dangerous — is a turning point in recovery.

But there’s another group I often work with: People whose recovery requires going deeper. For them, emotional processing is key. It’s not about endlessly reliving the past, but about meeting those stored emotions — grief, fear, rage — that the nervous system never got to resolve. In trauma and addiction recovery, this can be profound. When we stop numbing and begin to feel, the body's messages can finally be heard. 

I’ve had some great results with Internal Family Systems therapy personally. I once unburdened two very young parts, twins, who were deeply suppressed and in my system signified the decades of emotional suppression. For decades, my protectors kept me away from my feelings so it took me a few years in therapy to get in touch with them, and even to be able to cry. So when those young twins were unburdened, you could say, liberated, I had a strange sensation of a lot of pressure releasing in my head area, like air was coming out of my ears and made them pop and ring. From that day, some of my tension headaches have reduced.

Approaching this work takes courage. Our brains are not always used to handling strong emotions, so the process must be compassionate and paced. Sometimes, we dip a toe in; sometimes, we go deeper when it feels safe. It’s never about rushing — healing unfolds at the speed of safety.

This is why healing from addiction and trauma isn’t only about stopping a behaviour — it’s about creating a safe space for the body to release what it has been holding. When we address the emotional roots of pain, we’re not only soothing the mind, we’re quieting the body’s alarm system.

So often, what hurts in the body is not just a physical wound — it’s the echo of emotional pain, asking, at last, to be felt. Ultimately, emotions are not our enemy. They are signals — sometimes messy, sometimes overwhelming, but always human. When we learn to meet them with presence rather than resistance, the brain can finally stand down. The danger signal fades. The body can exhale. That’s freedom!

Categories: : Body