What Is a Pain Coach (and How Can They Help You Heal)?

If you’ve ever heard the term pain coach and thought, What does that even mean? You’re not alone.

Most of us are familiar with doctors, chiropractors, or physical therapists when it comes to dealing with pain. But a pain coach? That can feel new, maybe even confusing.

A pain coach is someone who helps you understand the deeper connection between your mind, body, and nervous system so that you can reduce pain naturally, without depending only on medications or endless appointments. You learn tools for healing.

Let me share my story, because it’s the reason I became a pain coach in the first place.

My Own Struggle with Pain

For years, I lived with pain and strange symptoms. Low back pain, neck pain, headaches, bloating, eczema, even urinary issues. On the outside, I looked healthy. I ate well, exercised, and took care of myself. But inside, I felt like my body was breaking down.

I tried everything: chiropractic, massage, elimination diets, and physical therapy. Each would help for a while, but the pain always came back.

It all reached a breaking point after I lost my mom to cancer. I had three small kids at home, I was running a business, and I was in constant pain. My low back hurt so much that just getting through the day felt like a battle.

Doctors offered me pain medications and muscle relaxers, but no one ever asked about my stress, my grief, or the load my body was carrying.

Then a friend recommended a book by Dr. John Sarno, one of the pioneers of mind-body medicine. Reading it was like a lightbulb turning on. I realized my pain wasn’t just about my body. It was my nervous system stuck in survival mode. Later, I discovered The Way Out and Pain Reprocessing Therapy, and everything clicked.

Once I started applying these tools, not only did my pain begin to shift, but I finally understood myself in a new way. And I knew I had to share this with others. That’s when I decided to become a pain coach. 

The more I learn the more curious I get, and I have since done several other trainings to understand the pathways of pain and chronic symptoms.

What Does a Pain Coach Actually Do?

As a pain coach, I help people reduce pain by working with the nervous system and lifestyle factors that affect it.

Pain isn’t a signal from your body, it’s processed in the brain. That means you actually have more influence over pain than you realize.

Think about it:

• Have you ever felt your heart race and your stomach drop before public speaking?

• Or felt your shoulders tense just from stress alone?

That’s your nervous system creating very real physical changes—all without an injury. Pain can work the same way.

Sometimes the brain becomes “too protective,” like a fire alarm that goes off just because you lit a candle. It doesn’t mean your body is broken, it means your nervous system needs reassurance and safety.

That’s where pain coaching comes in. I use tools like:

• Somatic tracking (a way to observe pain without fear)

• Mind-body stress reduction

• Lifestyle and nutrition support

• Emotional processing to release what the body has been holding

• Sleep and relationship tools that help calm the whole system

It’s a whole-person approach that looks at the root cause of why pain sticks around.

How Pain Coaching Is Different from the Medical System

Our medical system is designed to fix broken parts, like a mechanic repairing a car. And if there’s a structural problem, like a fracture or a torn ligament, that approach works.

But with chronic pain, that model falls short.

I like to think of the body as a tree. If the leaves are wilting, you don’t just fix the leaf, you have to look at the soil, the water, the sunlight, and the environment around it.

A pain coach helps you look at the whole picture: your stress load, your emotions, your habits, and the way your brain is processing pain signals.

Real Stories of Healing

One of my clients had been bedbound from pain. Over time, using these tools, she was able to go hiking again.

Others experience relief in their very first session, just from learning how to track pain in a new way.

But beyond physical changes, what I see most often is this: people begin to soften toward themselves. They stop seeing their body as an enemy and start recognizing it as an ally. They're no longer afraid that something will go wrong, and they can move freely again.

That shift alone is life-changing.

Why Pain Coaching Matters for Women and Weight Loss

Many women come to me because they’ve been told they need to lose weight to get rid of pain. Unfortunately, the medical system often gaslights them - blaming BMI, diet, or exercise habits.

But in reality, pain itself often leads to weight gain. It makes it harder to move, harder to cook, harder to care for yourself. Traditional diet and exercise advice doesn’t apply to women living with chronic symptoms.

A pain coach helps untangle that chicken-and-egg cycle. Healing the pain and repairing the relationship with food, body image, and movement, so weight loss (if desired) can happen in a healthier, more compassionate way.

Is a Pain Coach Right for You?

Pain coaching is for someone who’s ready to learn, experiment, and approach healing in a new way.

It’s especially powerful if:

• You’ve read books or tried to “DIY” mind-body healing, but it hasn’t clicked

• You feel dismissed or frustrated with traditional medicine

• You want tools you can use for the rest of your life, not just quick fixes

What I Want You to Know

If you take one thing away, let it be this:

Pain coaching is safe, effective, and empowering. Once you learn the tools, you can use them on any pain that shows up in your life.

We can’t erase pain forever—it’s part of being human—but we can erase the suffering that comes with it. Instead of fear, you’ll have confidence. Instead of feeling broken, you’ll feel whole again.

That’s the true power of working with a pain coach.