A Whole-Person Approach to Neurapathic Pain + Lived Experience Story

Neuropathic pain occurs when nerves are damaged, injured, or dysfunctioning, causing them to send incorrect signals to the brain.

We can think of neuropathic pain in a similar way to an injury. Instead of the muscle, joint or tissue being affected, the injury lives within the nervous system, where pain signals continue to fire. It’s complex, often persistent, and for many people, life-altering.

It can influence:

• How we move

• How we think

• How we feel

• How we show up in the world

  
  

Neuropathic pain can impact physical function, emotional wellbeing and overall quality of life. It often contributes to anxiety, fatigue and reduced daily capacity.

Even within this experience, there is capacity to lead a thriving life.

Expanding the Lens: A Whole-Person Approach

Positive Psychology encourages us to look beyond symptom reduction and toward whole-person wellbeing.

In the context of neuropathic pain, this means supporting:

• the body

• the mind

• the nervous system

• and the lived experience of pain

  
  

Rather than asking: “How do I get rid of this?”

We explore: “How can I support myself within this?”

Movement and exercise are meaningful, evidence-based ways for us to do exactly that. (Geneen et al., 2021)

Movement as Medicine

A growing body of research suggests that physical activity and exercise can help reduce neuropathic pain intensity across a wide range of conditions (Geneen et al., 2021).

What’s encouraging is that this effect has been seen across multiple conditions, including:

• multiple sclerosis

• stroke

• diabetic neuropathy

• post-surgical pain

• and other nerve-related conditions

Across these studies, movement supported:

• reductions in pain intensity

• improvements in physical function

• and positive changes in emotional wellbeing

Exercise can be a valuable complementary therapy in neuropathic pain care. From both a neuroscience and Positive Psychology perspective, this is where things become collaborative. Movement doesn’t just affect the body, it supports the nervous system.

Research suggests that exercise may:

• reduce pain sensitivity

• support nerve health

• regulate stress responses

• and enhance mood and emotional resilience

This aligns with a core principle in wellbeing science: When we support the system as a whole, we create space for change and better wellbeing outcomes.

Yoga: A Mind-Body Pathway

Yoga offers a unique bridge between physical and psychological wellbeing. A systematic review and meta-analysis, drawing on multiple studies, found that yoga can help reduce pain intensity and improve quality of life in people experiencing neuropathic pain (Kaur et al., 2023).

Yoga integrates:

• movement

• breath

• and mindful awareness

Together, these practices:

• calm the stress response

• activate natural pain-relief pathways

• reduce anxiety and fatigue

• and support overall wellbeing

Yoga allows us to reconnect with our body, not just as a source of pain, but as a source of support.

Mindfulness: Supporting our experience of pain

Alongside movement and yoga, mindfulness offers another pathway for supporting people living with neuropathic pain. Mindfulness involves bringing non-judgemental awareness to the present moment, including sounds, physical sensations, thoughts, and emotions.

A large systematic review and meta-analysis of over 400 studies, including the work of Matthew Iasiello, found that mindfulness-based interventions are among the most effective psychological approaches for improving mental wellbeing across both general and clinical populations. This research highlights that mental wellbeing can be improved independently of physical or mental illness, and can play a meaningful role in recovery and overall functioning . While this evidence does not focus specifically on neuropathic pain, it offers an important insight: the way we experience and respond to pain is closely connected to our mental and emotional state.

For individuals living with neuropathic pain, mindfulness may help to:

• reduce emotional reactivity to pain

• support nervous system regulation

• improve resilience and coping

• and create space between sensation and response

From a Positive Psychology perspective, mindfulness shifts the experience from:

• resistance → to awareness

• overwhelm → to regulation

• suffering → to acceptance

Even if pain remains present, the overall burden of the experience can begin to change.

Integrating Medical and Holistic Approaches

It’s important to acknowledge that medication continues to play a key role in neuropathic pain management. According to Pharmacotherapy for Neuropathic Pain by Finnerup et al. (2015) clinical research supports the use of medications such as antidepressants and gabapentinoids, which can reduce pain for many individuals.

At the same time, many people find that medication alone doesn’t fully resolve their symptoms and may come with side effects or require ongoing adjustment. Rather than viewing these approaches as separate, the research increasingly supports an integrative model of care where medical treatment is combined with supportive practices such as movement, exercise, and mind-body interventions.

My Lived Experience Story

As someone with lived experience of Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia (GPN) since I was a teenager, the science was my roadmap to first-line treatment after two decades of not knowing what was going on with my body. Fortunately, my GPN attacks were few and far between. Unfortunately, when they did happen they were incredibly painful.

In 2024, I collapsed in line waiting for an Iced Almond Latte on New Years Day. Over the coming months, I started purchasing and reading through medical journals by researchers around the world and things started becoming clearer. I asked to be refered by my GP to a Neuralgist by the name of Dr Stark. Leading up to this appointment, I had kept notes about my attacks over the years which was helpful data that I encourage anyone with an undiagnosed condition to do. I also went in prepared with an MRI, x-ray and lidocaine test.

Dr Stark diagnosed me with GPN in 2024.

The ninth cranial nerve, known as the Glosspharyngeal Nerve malfunctions, leading to what Dr Stark refers to as an attack. This feels like sharp, stabbing and electric-shock sensations typically on one side of the face, ear, throat, jaw and neck. There is no instant relief for a GPN attack which is frequently rated a 10 on the pain intensity scale. For context, morphine doesn't even take the edge off.

It took me years to notice a pattern as the attacks felt like the came out of nowhere at first. Symptoms before an attack include low-level pain, increased sensitivity, lingering discomfort and high-intensity warning shocks. Generally, if I was exposed to chronic stress or burnout, it was more likely the nerve would come back out of remission.

Dr Stark advised, first-line pharamceutical treatments such as Carbamazepine can stabilise the nerve to prevent the attacks or reduce the intensity if an attack were to happen. GPN attacks aren't good for the body to experience, and can lead to other severe health issues if not addressed. Ideally, we want to prevent these.

Beyond medical intervention, a whole-person approach to treating Neurapathic Pain has absolutely helped me experience thriving wellbeing despite living with this condition. I am a huge advocate for health prevention in communities.

The interventions I've prescribed for myself (or lifestyle habits!) are eating nourishing meals, walking, aerial yoga, strength training, mindfulness, positive social connections and reducing stress where possible.

These approaches haven’t erased the condition but they’ve supported me in:

• building good wellbeing despite a rogue nerve

• long-term prevention of symptoms, flare ups and attacks

• feeling more connected to my body

• regulating my nervous system which also keeps that nerve healthy

• and finding moments of ease within the experience

Supporting the Whole Person

Neuropathic pain can make the body feel unpredictable, and at times, disconnected. Approaches like movement, yoga and mindfulness offer a different pathway. Instead of resisting the experience or feeling at odds with your body, you begin to build awareness, support regulation and develop a more compassionate relationship with yourself. This doesn’t remove the challenge completely, but it can reduce or transform how we experience that challenge.

The research is clear and encouraging that:

• Medication plays an important role

• Movement and exercise offer meaningful additional support

• Mind-body practices like yoga support both the nervous system and emotional wellbeing

The most effective approach is not one or the other but an integrative approach. One that supports the body, the mind and the person experiencing the pain. When we move beyond just managing symptoms and begin supporting the whole system, we create space not just for relief but for improved quality of life, increased resilience and good wellbeing.

This article isn’t written by a Positive Psychology Practioner but by someone who has 20 years of lived experience. So, think of me as friend sitting beside you that empathises with how difficult this can be. In the lead up to writing this, I reviewed over 30 studies, including systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials and clinical research in neuropathic pain to bring you this bite-sized article.

References

Finnerup, N. B., Attal, N., Haroutounian, S., McNicol, E., Baron, R., Dworkin, R. H., … Wallace, M. (2015). Pharmacotherapy for neuropathic pain in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Neurology, 14(2), 162–173.

Geneen, L. J., Moore, R. A., Clarke, C., Martin, D., Colvin, L. A., & Smith, B. H. (2021). Physical activity and exercise for chronic pain in adults: An overview of Cochrane Reviews. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4).

Kaur, J., Sharma, S., & Kaur, H. (2023). Effect of yoga as a complementary therapy in neuropathic pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine.