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Chronic Pain Causes and Treatment in Melbourne
Chronic pain can feel overwhelming—especially when doctors can’t find a clear cause. If your pain has lasted more than three months and isn’t improving with standard treatment, it may be time to look deeper.
At Dynamic Psychotherapy in Melbourne, we treat chronic pain by understanding both the physical and emotional causes. Many people experience real, ongoing pain that’s connected to stress, emotional tension, or past experiences—even when nothing shows up on a scan.
You Might Be Dealing with Chronic Pain If:
- Your pain has lasted for more than 3 months
- There’s no clear current injury or diagnosis
- Pain flares up under stress or emotional pressure
- Treatments haven’t worked, or only offer short-term relief
- You’re feeling stuck, frustrated, or dismissed
We work with people just like you—people who’ve tried everything and are still in pain. Our approach goes beyond symptom management. We help you understand the emotional forces that may be driving your pain, and we support you in releasing them—so your body can finally begin to heal.
Book Now or Learn More
Submit an intake form below or keep reading for a detailed overview of Therapy for Chronic Pain
Understanding Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is pain that lasts longer than three months, or beyond the expected healing time for the injury. It might begin with an injury, illness, or medical condition—but sometimes, it starts without any obvious cause at all. This can be confusing and distressing and lead to considerable uncertainty and feeling unsafe and concerned.
Unlike short-term (acute) pain, chronic pain continues after the body should have healed. It may feel like a dull ache, a sharp stab, or a heavy, draining tension that won’t go away. Over time, it often affects sleep, energy, mood, and day-to-day functioning. This can have a dramatic impact on our relationships and quality of life and people who suffer from chronic pain can feel restricted and powerless to make real and important change in their lives.
What Makes Chronic Pain Different?
- It often continues after physical healing is complete
- It may come and go—or remain constant
- The intensity can shift without a clear reason
- Emotional stress tends to make it worse
Chronic pain is real, but it’s often misunderstood. Many people are told “there’s nothing wrong” when their scans and tests come back as normal. But chronic pain is not just about physical damage—it’s about how the brain and body keep processing pain long after the initial trigger has passed.
At Dynamic Psychotherapy, we help you understand what’s happening in your nervous system—and why it matters. This is the first step toward lasting relief.
Common Causes of Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can have many causes. Some are physical, some emotional—and often, they’re linked. When pain lingers, it’s usually because the nervous system has stayed on high alert, even after the body has healed.
Physical Causes Can Include:
- Past injuries that didn’t heal fully or had an abnormal healing process
- Inflammation or nerve damage
- Illnesses like arthritis or fibromyalgia
- Post-surgical pain due to adhesions or other physical trauma
But in many cases, pain continues without a clear physical reason. This is where emotional factors often come in.
When There’s No Clear Medical Cause
You might have had all the tests. Nothing shows up—but the pain is still there. This is called medically unexplained pain or psychophysiological pain.
What Keeps the Pain Going?
- Emotional stress stored in the body
- Suppressed feelings such as anger or grief
- Long-term anxiety or fear
- The body staying “stuck” in fight-or-flight mode
Pain is the body’s alarm system—but when that system doesn’t reset, it keeps firing. At Dynamic Psychotherapy, we help you identify the emotional signals behind the alarm—so your system can finally settle.
Emotional Factors That Influence Chronic Pain
Pain isn’t just physical. It’s also shaped by your emotional state—especially when feelings are pushed down or left unprocessed. The body often becomes the messenger when emotions don’t have space to be felt.
At Dynamic Psychotherapy, we see this link every day: pain that reflects unresolved emotional pressure.
How Emotions Affect Pain
- Suppressed anger or grief can build inner tension
- Anxiety can keep the nervous system in a constant state of alert
- Past trauma can show up as muscle pain, headaches, or gut problems
- Depression often lowers pain tolerance and increases sensitivity
This isn’t something you’re choosing or imagining. These are real, physiological responses to emotional stress. Over time, the body stores these responses—leading to pain that doesn’t go away.
The Role of Emotional Conflict
Sometimes, the pain expresses something that words can’t. You might feel pressure to keep it together, avoid conflict, or bury past experiences. That emotional strain needs somewhere to go. For many people, it shows up in the body.
In therapy, we work together to uncover what’s behind the pain—not just to understand it, but to help release it.
Why ISTDP Is a Highly Effective Treatment
Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) is a powerful treatment for chronic pain linked to emotional stress, unresolved trauma, or suppressed feelings. It works by helping you access and release the emotional tension that often fuels physical pain.
At Dynamic Psychotherapy in Melbourne, ISTDP is a core part of how we treat chronic pain—especially when pain has no clear medical cause or hasn’t responded to other treatments.
What Makes ISTDP Different?
- Goes beyond talking about symptoms—it addresses the emotional root causes
- Focuses on real-time emotional awareness in the body
- Helps you identify and let go of unconscious emotional blocks
- Reduces internal tension that keeps pain alive
Backed by Research
ISTDP has been shown in clinical studies to reduce:
- Pain intensity
- Restrictions due to pain
- Emotional distress
- Depression and anxiety
- The use of unhelpful coping patterns
Unlike standard approaches, ISTDP actively works with both your emotional and physical experience. It’s not passive. It’s focused, respectful, and designed to create lasting change—without years of therapy.
What Treatment Looks Like at Dynamic Psychotherapy
At Dynamic Psychotherapy, treatment is tailored to you—your body, your emotions, your pain story. We don’t offer generic solutions. We listen closely, work deeply, and guide you through a focused process that aims to reduce pain by resolving its emotional drivers.
What to Expect in Therapy
- Clear focus from the start – We begin by understanding your pain and how it connects to your life history, relationships, and emotional patterns.
- Active sessions – Your therapist helps you notice tension, avoidance, or emotional blocks as they happen—in real time.
- Support to feel safely – As emotions surface, we support you to experience them without being overwhelmed. Anxiety regulation is a major component.
- Lasting change – As emotional pressure reduces; your nervous system begins to settle. For many people, physical pain starts to ease.
All sessions are delivered by trained therapists with expertise in ISTDP and chronic pain. We provide a respectful, grounded, and emotionally safe environment—right here in Melbourne.
You’re not left to figure it out alone. We walk with you, every step.
Signs You May Benefit from This Approach
If you’ve been living with pain that doesn’t respond to treatment—or that no one seems to understand—this therapy may be the missing piece. Chronic pain linked to emotional stress often doesn’t improve until the underlying emotional pressure is addressed.
You Might Benefit from ISTDP if:
- You’ve had pain for over 3 months without a clear diagnosis
- Medical scans and tests keep coming back normal or no diagnosis
- Pain worsens when you feel stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed
- You’ve experienced loss, trauma, or emotional conflict that’s never fully resolved
- You feel invalidated or misunderstood in the medical system
- Physical therapy, medications, or surgeries haven’t helped—or helped only briefly
Pain is often the body’s way of signalling emotional overload. When we treat what’s underneath, change becomes possible—often where nothing else has worked.
Getting Help in Melbourne
At Dynamic Psychotherapy, we offer a compassionate, evidence-based approach to chronic pain causes and treatment—right here in Melbourne. We understand that by the time people find us, they’ve often seen multiple specialists, tried various treatments, and are still in pain.
You don’t have to keep going in circles.
Why Work With Us?
- We specialise in chronic pain linked to emotional stress and trauma
- Our team is trained in ISTDP, one of the most effective therapies for pain with no clear medical cause
- We treat the whole person, not just the symptom
- We offer a supportive, focused space to help you move from confusion to clarity—and from pain to relief
Whether you’re ready to start therapy or just want to learn more, we’re here to help. Our clinic is based in Melbourne and open to new clients.
FAQs About Chronic Pain and Therapy
Is chronic pain all in the mind?
No. Chronic pain is a real, physical experience. But in many cases, the pain is maintained or worsened by emotional stress, unresolved feelings, or past trauma. This doesn’t mean you’re imagining it. It means the body is expressing distress through pain—and therapy can help release it.
How can emotions cause physical pain?
When emotions like anger, fear, or sadness are suppressed, the nervous system can stay in a state of tension. Over time, this tension can create real physical symptoms—such as muscle pain, headaches, stomach problems, or fatigue. Therapy helps you access and process those feelings, so the body no longer needs to hold onto pain.
How long does treatment take?
This depends on your history, symptoms, and goals. ISTDP is designed to work efficiently and deeply. Some people notice changes within weeks, while others benefit from longer-term support. You and your therapist will decide what’s right for you.
Do I need a referral?
No referral is needed. You can contact us directly to book a session or ask questions. We also offer Medicare rebates with a GP referral and Mental Health Care Plan from your GP.
Request an Appointment
Ready to book an appointment with a chronic pain therapist? Use our appointment request form by clicking the button below.
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And
Grant is a Clinical Psychologist who is committed to personalised, collaborative, and compassionate care and has an interest in the application of dynamically informed therapies and other evidence-informed treatments to empower individuals to make enduring change in their mental health and well-being. He has a particular interest in assisting individuals suffering from medically unexplained symptoms, including Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), as well as the treatment of trauma-related difficulties and longstanding depressive illness.