Chronic Pain & Psychology By David Hennessy, Clinical Psychologist
Living with chronic pain can feel like carrying an invisible burden, one that doesn’t clock off at the end of the day. It can impact everything from sleep and mood to relationships, identity, and hope for the future. But chronic pain is not just a physical issue. It’s also deeply intertwined with the brain, nervous system, emotions, and psychological well-being.
Understanding this connection opens up new ways to support people living with pain. Psychological approaches don’t aim to dismiss or minimise the physical reality of pain; they acknowledge it and offer tools to navigate it more sustainably.
Chronic Pain & Psychology | What Is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is typically defined as pain that lasts longer than 3–6 months, beyond normal healing time. It may arise from a clear cause, such as arthritis, an injury, or a medical condition, or exist without an identifiable source.
What makes chronic pain especially complex is its persistence: the nervous system can become more sensitive over time, amplifying pain signals and reinforcing patterns that are difficult to shift.
Chronic Pain & Psychology | How Psychology Helps
Psychological therapy provides evidence-based approaches to alleviate suffering, enhance functioning, and regain a sense of control in life. Here’s how:
1. Understanding the Pain-Emotion Loop
Pain and emotion are closely linked. Pain can cause stress, low mood, and anxiety, which in turn can amplify the experience of pain. Therapies such as CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) help identify the thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours that may unintentionally keep this cycle going, and offer alternatives.
2. Self-Compassion and Acceptance
Living with persistent pain often brings frustration, guilt, or feelings of failure. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people gently shift focus from fighting pain to living meaningfully alongside it. Self-compassion becomes a powerful tool for reclaiming identity beyond illness.
3. Nervous System Regulation
Ongoing pain often keeps the nervous system in a heightened state of arousal. Mindfulness, paced breathing, and body-based strategies such as somatic grounding or Polyvagal-informed practices can help regulate this system and reduce distress.
4. Reconnecting with What Matters
Pain can shrink a person’s world, limiting social connection, movement, and pleasure. Therapy supports people to gradually re-engage with valued activities at their own pace and with realistic, flexible expectations.
A Multidisciplinary Approach
A multidisciplinary approach, involving a team of health professionals, is often necessary for effective chronic pain management. This may include general practitioners, psychologists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, pain specialists, and occasionally psychiatrists or social workers.
Each member of this team brings a unique perspective. For example, psychologists support emotional wellbeing and coping strategies, while pharmacists help manage and optimise medications. When these professionals work together, it provides coordinated care that addresses chronic pain holistically: physically, emotionally, and socially.
A Whole-Person Approach
At Hennessy Clinical Psychology, we recognise that pain is real, personal, and multifaceted. We approach chronic pain through a holistic lens.
You’re Not Making It Up
One of the hardest things people with chronic pain often face is the feeling of not being believed or understood. Please know this: your pain is real. You are not weak, lazy, or imagining it. You deserve care that is respectful, evidence-informed, and centred around you.
Support and Resources
You don’t have to navigate chronic pain alone. A psychologist trained in pain science and psychological flexibility can support you in understanding your pain and creating space for meaningful change.
Useful Resources:
- Painwise – https://painwise.com.au/
- Pain Australia
- Tame the Beast – Professor Lorimer Moseley
- APS: Chronic Pain and Psychology
Book an appointment: Hennessy Clinical Psychology – Contact Page
Final Word
Psychology doesn’t promise to cure chronic pain—but it can offer support, relief, tools, and hope. Therapy invites a shift from being overwhelmed by pain to learning how to live with it in ways that honour your strength, story, and self.
