If you experience chronic pain and PTSD, you might find yourself stuck in a loop of unhelpful thinking and avoidance behaviors that backfire over time.

Research shows that people with both chronic pain and PTSD have higher pain sensitivity, more psychological distress, and greater impairment than those with either condition alone (Reed et al., 2021). Often, care is siloed—physical pain managed by medical providers, psychological pain by mental health providers—missing the benefits of an integrated approach. The good news: trauma-informed strategies that address biology, thinking patterns, and avoidance together can lead to real improvements in pain, function, and quality of life.

Chronic pain and PTSD are deeply intertwined at both psychological and brain levels. Abdallah and Geha (2017) note that both conditions:

Catastrophizing—expecting or focusing on the worst—is a major risk factor in both chronic pain and PTSD. People with both conditions often feel less control, are more emotionally affected, and buy into

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