Meditation for Chronic Pain- Somatic Tracking Exercise to Replace Fear with Curiosity

Apr 17, 2026

Alan Gordon, creator of Pain Reprocessing Therapy and clinician who developed somatic tracking, leads a guided somatic tracking practice. He explains how to notice dominant sensations with curiosity, observe their qualities and changes, and train your nervous system to feel safe. Short, practical guidance that replaces fear-driven reactions with calm, neutral awareness.

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INSIGHT

Chronic Pain Is A Nervous System Problem

Chronic pain can become a nervous system problem when the brain confuses danger signals with pain signals.
Alan Gordon explains neuroplastic pain arises from a brain stuck in protection mode, amplifying harmless sensations into persistent pain.

ADVICE

Practice Somatic Tracking With Curious Attention

Do practice somatic tracking by directing curious, nonjudgmental attention to the dominant physical sensation in your body.
Alan Gordon guides breathing into the sensation, assessing quality (pleasant/unpleasant, localized/widespread) without trying to change it.

ADVICE

Observe Sensations Without Trying To Fix Them

Try to observe sensations outcome-independently: don't aim to fix or eliminate them, just gather information about their qualities.
Notice characteristics like tightness, pulsing, tingling, or warmth to build neutral familiarity instead of fear.

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If you have chronic pain including back pain you can benefit from this somatic tracking exercise from Alan Gordon’s Pain Reprocessing Therapy Pain Psychology Center: https://painpsychologycenter.com/

The Way Out of Chronic Pain, by Alan Gordon: https://a.co/d/6suF8CC

Learn the skills to Regulate your Emotions, join the membership: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.com/membership

⚠️ Important note: This exercise is intended for people whose pain has been medically evaluated and is not caused by active injury, infection, fracture, or disease. Pain Reprocessing Therapy does not replace medical care.

Chronic pain and back pain aren’t just problems of the body — they’re problems of a nervous system stuck in protection mode.

In this episode, I’ll guide you through a somatic tracking exercise, a core skill from Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), designed to help calm neuroplastic pain by teaching your brain that your body is safe. Somatic tracking is not about ignoring pain, pushing through it, or forcing relaxation. Instead, you’ll practice noticing pain with curiosity, neutrality, and safety, which helps interrupt the fear–pain cycle that keeps chronic pain going.

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Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger Institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/believe

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