Got a sore back and rolling your eyes at the idea of “seeing a psychologist for it”? You’re not alone and this episode is for you.

Lachlan puts that exact skepticism to pain psychologist Sophie and what follows is a masterclass in the real, physiological role psychology plays in persistent pain. They unpack the “window of tolerance,” why the nervous system can become overprotective, how adverse life experiences shape our pain response and why phantom limb pain proves pain is never just about tissue damage.

From practical tools – progressive muscle relaxation, the stress bucket analogy, graded exposure, CBT, ACT and pain reprocessing therapy – to the bigger picture of why multidisciplinary care changes outcomes, this conversation bridges the physical and psychological divide that so many pain patients get stuck in.

Lachlan and Sophie also share the story behind Paced Health, their new multidisciplinary telehealth pain clinic – why they built it, what the name means, and how they’re trying to fix the fragmented, confusing experience so many people with chronic pain describe.

RESOURCES:

– Pain Coach: Clinical software helping clinicians turn complex chronic pain into
simple habit targets. Sign-up here: https://paincoach.co
– Paced Health website:  https://www.pacedhealth.com
– Paced Health Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pacedhealth/

KEY TOPICS:

00:00 – Cold open: “Can psychology really help my back pain?”
01:00 – Meet Sophie, pain psychologist at Managing Pain
01:36 – Why a psych referral for pain feels invalidating — and how to start
03:17 – Noticing patterns: what pain psychologists actually look for
04:34 – What is nervous system regulation? The “window of tolerance”
06:35 – Signs you’re in hyperarousal (fight-or-flight)
07:48 – Signs you’re in hypoarousal (shutdown/freeze)
10:13 – How adverse childhood experiences shape your nervous system
12:46 – Complex trauma vs. single-event trauma
16:20 – Why do some people develop PTSD (and pain) — and others don’t?
18:43 – How to actually widen your window of tolerance
20:33 – Allostatic load and the “stress bucket” analogy
22:00 – Doing hard things on purpose: habituation and control
27:11 – Phantom limb pain: proof pain isn’t just physical
28:31 – Practical tools: breathing, PMR, mindfulness
30:31 – Cognitive functional therapy & movement experiments
33:29 – CBT and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for pain
35:13 – What is Pain Reprocessing Therapy?
37:17 – Why multidisciplinary teams change outcomes
39:17 – The Paced Health origin story
42:05 – The idea: multiple clinicians, one room, one hour
44:12 – Why the name “Paced Health”?
47:09 – The Tour de France analogy for pacing
49:13 – Why build this business at all?
51:07 – How to get involved (clients + clinicians)
52:13 – Advice for someone at their lowest point with pain
54:27 – Closing thoughts: autonomy, hope, and community

Disclaimer: This podcast is not personalised medical advice. Please consult a health professional before acting on anything discussed.