Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) er behandlingsformen som har påvist sterke og vedvarende effekter på behandling av kronisk smerte (Ashar et al, 2021). Tradisjonelt har terapi vært rettet mot å hjelpe pasienter å leve med smerte, men i PRT er målet å bli kvitt smertene gjennom et terapeutisk arbeid.

Psykologen hjelper klienten å skille hva som er smerte forårsaket av fysisk skade (strukturell smerte) og hva som er smerte forårsaket av psykologiske årsaker (nevroplastisk smerte). I arbeidet med kronisk smerte, viser tradisjonell smertebehandling (medisiner, operasjon, trening osv) liten effekt over tid. Forskere lener seg nå mer mot at kronisk smerte kan ha en psykologisk årsak, og bør behandles psykologisk .

At smerten er psykologisk betinget eller nevroplastisk betyr ikke at smerten er innbilt, men at det ikke er en fysisk skade som lenger er hovedårsaken til smerten. Gjennom å arbeide med de psykologiske faktorene som opprettholder og til dels skaper smerte, vil klienten lære seg kraftige teknikker og verktøy som de kan bruke i og mellom timene, og kunne overvinne smerten.

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