David Butler on using the brain to treat pain

06 Jan David Butler on using the brain to treat pain

Please take the time to watch this amazing talk by another one of my heroes, David Butler. He covers body maps, neuroplasticity, neuro-immune connections, healthy immune influences (including diet and exercise but also beliefs, social interactions, humour, “homoncular refreshment”), movement, “smudging” of bodymaps (reduced proprioceptive discrimination), context and memory, and the overall complexity of pain with between 4-500 brain areas active in pain states, all of which contribute to the overall feelings of danger or safety, and all of which are changeable. If you’ve trained with me in the last few years you’ll recognise and understand better a lot of the things we’ve been doing – exploring the body and three-dimensional space through movement, building community, using humour, creating a safe and healthy and magical context, honouring our personal stories and the history of our species to “re-enchant” our bodies and the world. If you have ever experienced pain in your life or if you know anyone who has, you really need to know this stuff. Please watch it and share it around.