The Mind-Body Couple

Tanner hosts a solo episode, sharing a free somatic tracking practice from the MBody Community digital course.Tanner first explains how chronic pain and symptoms can be neuroplastic (caused by the brain, not the body). He then breaks down the sensitization cycle - the feedback loop that makes symptoms sustain and worsen. Tanner provides practical instructions on the how to use somatic tracking to retrain your brain and desensitize pain/symptoms.The episode includes a free somatic tracking guide you can make part of your daily practice. It's one of 60+ practices from our course - The Somatic Safety Method, published by MBody Community.Tanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson are therapists who treat neuroplastic pain and mind-body symptoms. They are also married!In his 20s, Tanner overcame chronic pain and a fibromyalgia diagnosis by learning his symptoms were neuroplastic, not structural. Post-healing, Tanner and Anne have dedicated their lives to developing effective treatment and education for neuroplastic pain and symptoms.Listen and learn how to assess your own chronic pain and symptoms, gain tools to retrain the brain and nervous system, and make changes in your life and health!The Mind-Body Couple podcast is owned by Pain Psychotherapy Canada Inc. This podcast is produced by Alex Klassen, one of the wonderful therapists at our agency in Calgary, Alberta. https://www.painpsychotherapy.ca/Tanner, Anne, and Alex also run the MBody Community, an in-depth online course that provides a step-by-step process for assessing, treating, and resolving mind-body pain and symptoms. https://www.mbodycommunity.comCheck out Tanner's YouTube channel for more free education and practices: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Fl6WaFHnh4ponuexaMbFQAnd follow us for daily education posts on Instagram: @painpsychotherapyDisclaimer: The information provided on this podcast is for general in...

In this episode, we are joined by one of the world's leading expert physicians on neuroplastic pain and symptoms. Dr. Rebecca Kennedy sits down with Tanner, sharing science, personal stories, and practical ideas to get to the root of chronic symptoms - and heal!We discuss how chronic fatigue and long COVID are commonly neuroplastic - meaning they are generated by the brain and nervous system, not ongoing physical damage or disease.You'll lean:• Why downstream biomarkers reflect brain functioning and nervous system state, not irreversible physical damage• Why symptoms occur, and how they can move and change• The importance of emotional awareness and expression in recovery• Ideas for increasing mind-body communication• About Dr. Kennedy’s 1:1 work, team approach, and upcoming courseRebecca Kennedy, MD, is a family medicine physician with more than 20 years of clinical experience. She worked at a migrant farmworker clinic at the start of her career, then spent 15 years at Kaiser Permanente in Portland, Oregon, where she served as the lead physician for the Long COVID specialty group.In 2023, she founded Resilience Health Care, a clinic dedicated to treating neuroplastic symptoms. She now provides virtual consultations to patients worldwide and supports recovery from a wide range of chronic symptoms with a particular focus on long COVID. She is active in teaching, collaboration, and advocacy. Dr. Kennedy collaborates internationally on treating chronic pain and other persistent symptoms. She is a member of the Oslo Chronic Fatigue Consortium and serves as board chair of the nonprofitAssociation for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms (ATNS).Dr. Kennedy's Resilience Health Care Clinic: https://resilience-healthcare.com/Tanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson are therapists who treat neuroplastic pain and mind-body symptoms. They are also married!In his 20s, Tanner overcame chronic pain and a fibromyalgia diagnosis by learning his symptoms were neuroplastic, not structural. Post-healing, Tanner and Anne have dedicated their lives to developing effective treatment and education for neuroplastic pain and symptoms.Listen and learn how to assess your own chronic pain and symptoms, gain tools to retrain the brain and nervous system, and make changes in your life and health!The Mind-Body Couple podcast is owned by Pain Psychotherapy Canada Inc. This podcast is produced by Alex Klassen, one of the wonderful therapists at our agency in Calgary, Alberta. https://www.painpsychotherapy.ca/Tanner, Anne, and Alex also run the MBody Community, an in-depth online course that provides a step-by-step process for assessing, treating, and resolving mind-body pain and symptoms. https://www.mbodycommunity.comCheck out Tanner's YouTube channel for more free education and practices: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Fl6WaFHnh4ponuexaMbFQAnd follow us for daily education posts on Instagram: @painpsychotherapyDisclaimer: The information provided on this podcast is for general in...

We answer a listener’s question about the freeze response, teaching a straightforward method to move from freeze to safety. We normalize triggers and provide practical ideas you can use to respond when your nervous system drops in to danger mode.• Learn the ADDS skill: ask why, drop in, describe, shift to safety• Hear Tanner's personal story of rejection and freeze, and how he got outFor more free content, check out the links for our YouTube channel, Instagram, and Facebook accounts in the episode descriptionTanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson are therapists who treat neuroplastic pain and mind-body symptoms. They are also married!In his 20s, Tanner overcame chronic pain and a fibromyalgia diagnosis by learning his symptoms were neuroplastic, not structural. Post-healing, Tanner and Anne have dedicated their lives to developing effective treatment and education for neuroplastic pain and symptoms.Listen and learn how to assess your own chronic pain and symptoms, gain tools to retrain the brain and nervous system, and make changes in your life and health!The Mind-Body Couple podcast is owned by Pain Psychotherapy Canada Inc. This podcast is produced by Alex Klassen, one of the wonderful therapists at our agency in Calgary, Alberta. https://www.painpsychotherapy.ca/Tanner, Anne, and Alex also run the MBody Community, an in-depth online course that provides a step-by-step process for assessing, treating, and resolving mind-body pain and symptoms. https://www.mbodycommunity.comCheck out Tanner's YouTube channel for more free education and practices: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Fl6WaFHnh4ponuexaMbFQAnd follow us for daily education posts on Instagram: @painpsychotherapyDisclaimer: The information provided on this podcast is for general in...

In this special episode, where we're joined by our producer (and fellow psychotherapist) Alex Klassen.We each showed up - without any previous conversation -  ready to share our answer to the question:What is THE #1 Strategy to Cure Neuroplastic Pain or Symptoms?And as you might predict - we didn't all pick the same strategy!Join us as we discuss:Becoming informed about neuroplastic pain and symptomsDiving in to the workShow and tell method for nervous system retrainingThe importance of bringing embodiment into your whole lifeFor more free content, check out the links for our YouTube channel, Instagram, and Facebook accounts in the episode descriptionTanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson are therapists who treat neuroplastic pain and mind-body symptoms. They are also married!In his 20s, Tanner overcame chronic pain and a fibromyalgia diagnosis by learning his symptoms were neuroplastic, not structural. Post-healing, Tanner and Anne have dedicated their lives to developing effective treatment and education for neuroplastic pain and symptoms.Listen and learn how to assess your own chronic pain and symptoms, gain tools to retrain the brain and nervous system, and make changes in your life and health!The Mind-Body Couple podcast is owned by Pain Psychotherapy Canada Inc. This podcast is produced by Alex Klassen, one of the wonderful therapists at our agency in Calgary, Alberta. https://www.painpsychotherapy.ca/Tanner, Anne, and Alex also run the MBody Community, an in-depth online course that provides a step-by-step process for assessing, treating, and resolving mind-body pain and symptoms. https://www.mbodycommunity.comCheck out Tanner's YouTube channel for more free education and practices: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Fl6WaFHnh4ponuexaMbFQAnd follow us for daily education posts on Instagram: @painpsychotherapyDisclaimer: The information provided on this podcast is for general in...

Ambition doesn’t have to cost your health.We start with the core problem: living neck up. Our culture rewards cognition—thinking, fixing, producing—while the body’s signals get ignored until they become symptoms.We dig into how to build a meaningful career without reigniting chronic pain/symptoms or overwhelming your nervous system. Tanner shares his personal experience, running two small businesses and staying healthy.We share a simple, fast tool called drop-in and describe: a 30–60 second check-in you can do multiple times an hour. You’ll hear how that tiny practice can lead to big changes, as you hear your nervous system cues and respond with regulation.Healing doesn’t demand that you dim your drive; it asks you to balance it. If you’re ready to pursue growth with a safer body and a clearer mind, join us for strategies you can use today. If this resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who’s pushing too hard, and leave a review to help others find the show.Tanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson are therapists who treat neuroplastic pain and mind-body symptoms. They are also married!In his 20s, Tanner overcame chronic pain and a fibromyalgia diagnosis by learning his symptoms were neuroplastic, not structural. Post-healing, Tanner and Anne have dedicated their lives to developing effective treatment and education for neuroplastic pain and symptoms.Listen and learn how to assess your own chronic pain and symptoms, gain tools to retrain the brain and nervous system, and make changes in your life and health!The Mind-Body Couple podcast is owned by Pain Psychotherapy Canada Inc. This podcast is produced by Alex Klassen, one of the wonderful therapists at our agency in Calgary, Alberta. https://www.painpsychotherapy.ca/Tanner, Anne, and Alex also run the MBody Community, an in-depth online course that provides a step-by-step process for assessing, treating, and resolving mind-body pain and symptoms. https://www.mbodycommunity.comCheck out Tanner's YouTube channel for more free education and practices: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Fl6WaFHnh4ponuexaMbFQAnd follow us for daily education posts on Instagram: @painpsychotherapyDisclaimer: The information provided on this podcast is for general in...

We answer Joni’s question about healing medical trauma after a health scare and show how to restore nervous system regulation using embodiment, exposure, and personal safety signals.We break down therapy room steps and an at-home plan to reduce dysregulation following traumatic events.We explore:• Medical trauma as a driver of health anxiety and chronic symptoms• Why avoidance reinforces danger• Embodiment defined and made practical• Building personalized safety signals before processing trauma• Staying within the healing window and pacing• Using repetition to desensitize triggers and stabilize safetyTanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson are therapists who treat neuroplastic pain and mind-body symptoms. They are also married!In his 20s, Tanner overcame chronic pain and a fibromyalgia diagnosis by learning his symptoms were neuroplastic, not structural. Post-healing, Tanner and Anne have dedicated their lives to developing effective treatment and education for neuroplastic pain and symptoms.Listen and learn how to assess your own chronic pain and symptoms, gain tools to retrain the brain and nervous system, and make changes in your life and health!The Mind-Body Couple podcast is owned by Pain Psychotherapy Canada Inc. This podcast is produced by Alex Klassen, one of the wonderful therapists at our agency in Calgary, Alberta. https://www.painpsychotherapy.ca/Tanner, Anne, and Alex also run the MBody Community, an in-depth online course that provides a step-by-step process for assessing, treating, and resolving mind-body pain and symptoms. https://www.mbodycommunity.comCheck out Tanner's YouTube channel for more free education and practices: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Fl6WaFHnh4ponuexaMbFQAnd follow us for daily education posts on Instagram: @painpsychotherapyDisclaimer: The information provided on this podcast is for general in...

Dive into the transformative journey toward healing chronic pain! Discover how reframing symptoms through a neuroplastic lens can empower your recovery. Learn why full commitment to brain-based approaches is crucial for real change. Explore the sensitization cycle and the importance of responding with safety. Uncover the hidden rules that limit your life and how graded exposure can help you reclaim movement and joy. Small, incremental wins are highlighted as essential steps toward symptom reduction.

Send your questions to be answered live on the podcast to: info@painpsychotherapy.caThe holidays can be filled with joy, but for many living with chronic pain or chronic illness, December brings spikes in symptoms, packed calendars, and pressure to perform happiness. We unpack why this happens through a brain and nervous system lens and share a realistic survival guide you can actually use, even on your busiest days.We break down how neuroplastic pain and illness amplifies under holiday “danger signals” such as: family conflict or distance, pressure, people pleasing, financial strain, and social or physical exposure. Then we get practical. You’ll learn how to stack safety signals—breathwork, present-moment sensing, qigong, visualization, safe self-talk—in ways that fit your style, whether you prefer scheduled 20-minute practices or quick five-minute resets during gatherings. We also walk through processing dysregulation without suppression, because resisting emotion reliably cranks up pain and symptom sensitivity, while gentle exposure paired with safety calms your system.Finally, we tackle people pleasing with tools that protect your energy and your relationships. Set boundaries inside your healing window—limit events, simplify gifts, and skip conflict-heavy topics. Practice free expression that’s honest and kind, reducing resentment and easing your nervous system. Lower intensity on purpose: slow your pace, schedule non-negotiable regulation time, and choose fewer traditions to do. If you’ve felt trapped between wanting a meaningful holiday season and managing symptoms, this conversation offers a clear route to both. Subscribe, share with someone who needs a calmer holiday, and leave a review to help others discover practical tools for neuroplastic pain and nervous system regulation.Safety Signal Practice: https://youtu.be/gCMCfPZ7Qr0Emotion & Dysregulation Practice: https://youtu.be/qJ-dZ1YRFYcTanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson are therapists who treat neuroplastic pain and mind-body symptoms. They are also married!In his 20s, Tanner overcame chronic pain and a fibromyalgia diagnosis by learning his symptoms were neuroplastic, not structural. Post-healing, Tanner and Anne have dedicated their lives to developing effective treatment and education for neuroplastic pain and symptoms.Listen and learn how to assess your own chronic pain and symptoms, gain tools to retrain the brain and nervous system, and make changes in your life and health!The Mind-Body Couple podcast is owned by Pain Psychotherapy Canada Inc. This podcast is produced by Alex Klassen, one of the wonderful therapists at our agency in Calgary, Alberta. https://www.painpsychotherapy.ca/Tanner, Anne, and Alex also run the MBody Community, an in-depth online course that provides a step-by-step process for assessing, treating, and resolving mind-body pain and symptoms. https://www.mbodycommunity.comCheck out Tanner's YouTube channel for more free education and practices: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Fl6WaFHnh4ponuexaMbFQAnd follow us for daily education posts on Instagram: @painpsychotherapyDisclaimer: The information provided on this podcast is for general in...

What if the most powerful lever for chronic pain isn’t in your muscles or joints, but in your brain’s pain system? We sit down with Jim Prussack a physiotherapist who left a strictly structural model behind after diving deep into pain science, mentorship with John Sarno and Howard Schubiner, and years on the front lines of complex cases. The takeaway is both hopeful and concrete.We walk through how to tell if symptoms are neuroplastic—looking at timelines, flares tied to stress, inconsistency across activities, and the absence of clear tissue damage. From there, we show why acceptance of the diagnosis is the foundation for every tool that follows, whether it’s graded exposure, cognitive functional therapy, somatic tracking, breathing, or journaling. You’ll hear how reassurance and a trauma-informed approach outperform nocebo-laden scripts like “your core is weak,” and why the best PT sometimes looks like coaching confidence rather than chasing a tight muscle.We also get specific about mixing psychotherapy and physical therapy without sending mixed signals. For some, active PT restores trust in movement; for others, psychological work on fear, grief, and old patterns unlocks the nervous system. The unifying thread is coherence: consistent, safety-first messaging that teaches the brain to downshift from threat.If you’re navigating persistent pain, pelvic pain, back pain, or other functional symptoms, this conversation offers a practical roadmap built on pain neuroscience, neuroplasticity, and lived clinical wisdom. Subscribe, share with someone who needs a new lens on healing, and leave a review to help others find the show.Connect with Jim here:Website: https://www.thepainpt.com/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thepainptTanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson are therapists who treat neuroplastic pain and mind-body symptoms. They are also married!In his 20s, Tanner overcame chronic pain and a fibromyalgia diagnosis by learning his symptoms were neuroplastic, not structural. Post-healing, Tanner and Anne have dedicated their lives to developing effective treatment and education for neuroplastic pain and symptoms.Listen and learn how to assess your own chronic pain and symptoms, gain tools to retrain the brain and nervous system, and make changes in your life and health!The Mind-Body Couple podcast is owned by Pain Psychotherapy Canada Inc. This podcast is produced by Alex Klassen, one of the wonderful therapists at our agency in Calgary, Alberta. https://www.painpsychotherapy.ca/Tanner, Anne, and Alex also run the MBody Community, an in-depth online course that provides a step-by-step process for assessing, treating, and resolving mind-body pain and symptoms. https://www.mbodycommunity.comCheck out Tanner's YouTube channel for more free education and practices: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Fl6WaFHnh4ponuexaMbFQAnd follow us for daily education posts on Instagram: @painpsychotherapyDisclaimer: The information provided on this podcast is for general in...

Send your questions to be answered live on the podcast to: info@painpsychotherapy.caLove doesn’t disappear when chronic pain shows up, but it can get buried under appointments, bills, and long stretches of silence. We open up about the years when pain became the only topic in our home, the ways our roles warped into caregiver and patient, and the slow, deliberate choices that helped us find our way back to closeness while symptoms were still present. This is a story about social safety—how relationships can signal danger or safety—and how changing that signal can reduce neuroplastic pain.We break down the hidden traps couples fall into: letting pain consume every conversation, organizing the relationship around “fighting the system,” and staying too long in a caregiver role. Then we share what worked. Communication that aims at co‑regulation rather than debate. Partner involvement that supports, not polices. Shared learning about brain-based approaches so skepticism doesn’t sabotage progress. And boundaries that protect the supporter’s identity—because a regulated partner has more to give than a depleted one.Expect concrete takeaways you can use right away: weekly “no symptom talk” windows to protect connection, small exposure steps that rebuild everyday life together, one‑sentence appreciations that melt shame, and a clear plan to shift roles back from caregiving to companionship. If chronic pain has narrowed your world, this conversation offers a map to widen it again—without waiting for perfect health to start living. If this resonates, subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and tell us: which step will you try this week?Tanner Murtagh and Anne Hampson are therapists who treat neuroplastic pain and mind-body symptoms. They are also married!In his 20s, Tanner overcame chronic pain and a fibromyalgia diagnosis by learning his symptoms were neuroplastic, not structural. Post-healing, Tanner and Anne have dedicated their lives to developing effective treatment and education for neuroplastic pain and symptoms.Listen and learn how to assess your own chronic pain and symptoms, gain tools to retrain the brain and nervous system, and make changes in your life and health!The Mind-Body Couple podcast is owned by Pain Psychotherapy Canada Inc. This podcast is produced by Alex Klassen, one of the wonderful therapists at our agency in Calgary, Alberta. https://www.painpsychotherapy.ca/Tanner, Anne, and Alex also run the MBody Community, an in-depth online course that provides a step-by-step process for assessing, treating, and resolving mind-body pain and symptoms. https://www.mbodycommunity.comCheck out Tanner's YouTube channel for more free education and practices: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Fl6WaFHnh4ponuexaMbFQAnd follow us for daily education posts on Instagram: @painpsychotherapyDisclaimer: The information provided on this podcast is for general in...