It's not a competition to see who's recovered from the most extended period of having persistent pain. Still, it is inspirational to know that recovery is possible after such a lengthy time in pain. Jayne tells her compelling story about how she entered, got stuck, and overcame persistent pain. It's such a common entry point and middle part of many people's stories that they believe will never have the ending they wish for. 

Jayne highlights how and what she did to move through that seemingly impenetrable pain barrier and now lives a life completely free from the persistent symptoms that blighted her life for so long. Her realisation and story could become yours if you're open to allowing it. Enjoy the video. Thanks Drew * * * * * 

CONNECT WITH JAYNE ✩ Email - jayne.plante@hotmail.com 

CONNECT WITH DREW ✩ Website - http://thepainhabit.com SOCIALS ✩ Instagram -   / thepainhabit  ✩ Facebook -   / thepainhabit  ✩ FB Group -   / 10251.

Link to the book that helped Jayne: The Way Out: A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain

Video Transcription

Drew Coverdale: It's not a competition in recovering from persistent pain, but this lady describes how 37 years passed before she was able to overcome her pain. Doesn't mean you got to wait that long, but this story should give you some inspiration that if it has gone on more than you could ever imagine, ever would have done, there still can be recovery from it. Watch this amazing story told by J.

Jayne, so thanks very much for agreeing to have a chat with me. So, I'm in the UK, you're in Canada, yes. And um, you've waited quite a long time to tell this story, what I understand. And our connection really just came from um, a comment on a post I've done on, I think it was Instagram or something, and you mentioned how you recovered from 37 years of persistent pain.

Jayne: That's right.

Drew:  Now that will sound, yeah, that will sound unbelievable, won't it, to pretty much everybody listening who's maybe new to this idea, but you're telling the truth, aren't you?

Jayne: And a year ago, I would have thought that it was unbelievable as well.

Yeah, I mean, I had no idea. I had no idea about neuroplasticity or any of that for 37 years.

Drew: So obviously, where you are now and where you were, let's maybe start where you were, Jan. What were you experiencing?

Jayne: Uh, so when I was um, 20 years old, I was in a car accident, uh, rear-ended by a tow truck, and that's when my um, journey into chronic pain started. Um, and a few years after that, I uh, uh, went to postsecondary, became a dental hygienist, so that involves a lot of leaning over, static positions over patients, repetitive motion. So I always was told and believed that, you know, the car accident plus the um, occupation that I had chosen was kind of the reason for my pain. Uh, started in my lower back, and over the years, it kind of changed, went up to my mid-back, upper back, shoulders, neck, base of my skull.

Um, though chronic pain was definitely my primary symptom, but now looking back, I have a host of other symptoms uh, off and on over the years that I also now realize were neuroplastic. Um, I was, I couldn't sit for long periods of time, I couldn't stand for long periods of time. I'm basically lying out flat on the floor was where I felt the most comfortable, and even um, at work, in between patients or sometimes on my lunch hour, I would run to the staff room, and there I would be lying out, you know, flat on the floor, trying to get some relief.

Uh, over the years, I was diagnosed with um, degenerative disc disease, herniated disc, nerve impingement at C6 C7, repetitive strain injury, whiplash. So you know, now I know that those things are all real, uh, they're in the MRIs, um, but they weren't the reason for, you know, any of my pain.

I had multiple medical tests, MRIs, CAT scans, x-rays, uh, over the 37 years, I had five different family doctors, I saw orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, you know, went to physio, chiro, massage, athletic therapy, acupuncture, osteopath, reike, you name it, I, you know, I went. Um, tried different diets, gave up dairy, gave up gluten. Um, really, I guess, kept searching for something that would give me some relief.

I was also on a whole bunch of different prescription medications over the years, medication for nerve pain, anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, opioids. Uh, here in Canada, we have medical prescription for marijuana, now tried that as well. Also tried many different natural supplements, and nothing really was changing anything. Sometimes, you know, I might get relief for a day, 3 days, occasionally a week. Anytime we tried something new, maybe at physio, you know, sometimes there was a small improvement, but nothing, nothing ever lasted for a long period of time.

My life became very small, as you can imagine. I was withdrawing socially. Um, really, any outing was centered around how was I going to manage the pain for that event. Even to drive, uh, my son lives an hour and a half away, to go visit him, my husband would drive, I would get in the back seat, put on my seat belt, and lie back flat in the backseat of the car, because that was the only way I could manage, you know, a one-and-a-half-hour car drive. Uh, and I also was, as my husband mentioned maybe six months ago, I was doing a really good job of protecting everybody close to me from the misery I was really in, and that was utterly exhausting. And now I know that that really was contributing to keeping me sick for so long as well.

Uh, about 10 years ago, I started to think about the mind-body connection, just in terms of yoga, meditation, things like that. I was kind of desperate to try anything, and um, I also did a mindfulness program, and I did find some, some relief from those modalities, probably maybe I got 10% better practicing those modalities. So I did know that there was a mind-body connection, and I did start to realize that if I was stressed, my symptoms were worse, but um, you know, still, I didn't put any strong connections together.

Um, five years ago, I had to leave the workforce, give up my career as a dental hygienist. I just, you know, I just couldn't work anymore, the pain had just really become unbearable. And I guess I was still off the mindset that maybe not working anymore would give some relief because, you know, I was still kind of the belief that the positions that I had to hold in my dental hygiene practice were contributing to the pain. Um, so left the workforce, and things didn't get any better. Uh, maybe in some ways, they got a little worse, because now I was just at home with my pain and didn't have much else to focus on other than that.

The time went on, and I found that my fear of the pain just started to totally overwhelm my life. And um, so one day, I just, when I left my physiotherapist's office, I just thought, I need to talk to somebody. I was just thinking maybe I need to talk to a therapist about, you know, how the fear was becoming so overwhelming. So I just took to the internet and Googled "fear of chronic pain." Um, and a few different things kind of caught my eye. Uh, Alan Gordon's book, The Way Out, that was one of the first things that kind of caught my eye, and just the term "neuroplasticity" popping up. So I started, you know, to read here and there a little bit about this, never ever had come across this concept before, in all the years of all the doctors, practitioners I saw, nobody ever mentioned anything remotely like this.

So I ordered Alan Gordon's book off Amazon, you know, it arrived at my doorstep in two or three days, and I just started reading it, and knew, you know, within a couple of chapters, I knew that this was my way out. I mean, I just knew. I'm sure that's not the case for everybody, um, but I thought, this is my answer, neuroplasticity, this, you know, this is what I have, and I can, I can get better from this.

Uh, so I read the book, and I, I believe some people could probably get significantly better just from reading the book, perhaps if their, uh, you know, pain hadn't, I don't want to say, you know, hadn't been as long, because I know even a week of chronic pain is a long time. But uh, I decided because I had had decades of this, and the neuropathways in my brain obviously were, uh, so ingrained in this chronic pain, that I would seek professional therapy. So again, took to the internet, uh, I was hoping to find somewhere local, even Ottawa, but, you know, nothing like that appeared.

But I did find, uh, Pain Psychotherapy Canada out of Calgary, uh, offering virtual appointments, and they specialize in chronic pain and neuroplasticity. And I went onto their website, and I was, oh my gosh, lo and behold, like, where have they been all my life? This is, well, they are fairly new, so I guess, where have they been all my life, they weren't around all those years ago. But um, I had a look, and all their therapists either have had IC pain themselves and healed themselves using neuroplasticity, or they've had intimate experiences with it, having a spouse or a parent, uh, with chronic pain. 20-minute free consultation, signed up, um, and you know, honestly, the first day with my therapist, of course, he has to go through an assessment, and I said, I realize you have to do that, but I know, I believe this is what I have, and I know I can get better using all these techniques, because I had started to research them on the internet myself.

So, the main modality we used was pain reprocessing therapy, uh, that's what we started off with, which is, the aim is to reduce your fear of the pain. And once you understand that your pain is not based on any physical problems in your body, well, I found my fear just vanished, because there was nothing to be afraid of, my body wasn't damaged, so I wasn't going to do further damage by, you know, doing XYZ, because there really was no damage there. So I found within two or three weeks, my, my fear was literally gone, my fear of the pain was gone. My pain wasn't gone, but my fear of the pain was gone.

And we also used somatic tracking right off the bat, uh, which for me as well, just worked wonders. I've spent most of my life in my head, big part of the problem, you know, somatic tracking is to get you into your body, um, and feeling, feeling the pain, but um, you know, in a light and curious manner, again, reducing, reducing the fear of the pain.

We also used emotional awareness and expression therapy, uh, something we, we didn't get into that until several sessions in, and that also was, xs always an optional, uh, thing, did the client want to do it or not, etc. But um, I knew from my own research, I had had, uh, quite a bit of trauma in my background, and that long-term recovery, uh, is more, I don't know if I'm want to use the word "guaranteed," but you know, if you address the trauma that has happened, and all the repressed emotions that have been going on for years and years.

So, uh, within a few weeks, I knew I was on my way. I mean, it, it wasn't an easy journey, but I could see the difference almost right away, not just in the physical symptoms, but just in how I felt about myself, how I felt about life. A big part of it is to start to engage in life again, because there's no reason not to, because there's nothing to be afraid of. So, you know, with graded exposure, I started to engage in life. I, you know, got back on a bicycle, got back in a kayak, short, short periods of time initially, and you know, symptoms would pop up here and there, but do it again the next day, to tell my brain, this is safe, this is safe to do this.

I mean, um, that, that was really amazing for me, to, you know, to be able to do that. Um, also, a big part of the therapy is regulating your nervous system. Really unknown to me, my nervous system had really been disregulated my whole life, unknown to me, I guess, because that was all I knew, uh, that was the only way I knew how to feel. So, um, and I believe for most people going forward, the, the longevity of recovery is, uh, it's very important to keep the nervous system regulated. It's, it's a key, key component of, uh, keeping the symptoms at bay, and also, when the symptoms come, because they will, you know, they, they will come back, but you have the tools and the knowledge now of how to deal with the symptoms, and, uh, it's not really frightening, it's a kind of an opportunity for, for more growth going ahead.

So, I mean, a year ago, my life was so small, and now, this summer, I was hiking, kayaking, uh, you know, biking, I just, just doing things that I never, never thought were possible. I started to play pickleball a few months ago, um, we're traveling again, and it's not just all those things that you can do, but it's how different life is now.

I mean, life is joyful now, there's, I feel connected to people, you know, whereas I, I was so withdrawn before. Um, there's so much on the other, on the other side of all this fear, that, you know, you said my story was unbelievable, but I wouldn't have believed that, you know, I could, I could be feeling all these emotions, as well as the gratitude I feel, uh, for finally finding this neuroplasticity solution.

Of course, I wish I had found it many years ago, but I feel that speaking out, if I can help one person find it sooner, then that's worthwhile. That's all I can do. I can't change the past, but I can help spread the word and get more people believing in this really amazing modality.

Drew: Wow, it's absolutely compelling listening to you. It's compelling, and you're preaching to the converted, by the way. Well, yes, yes, still compelling. It's so engaging listening to you that it will look like somebody's watching this, and they'll be watching what they think is a flying pig, right? You know, I don't know if you, it's the same cultural expression. It looks so strange that it's possible, but it means if it's possible for one, it's impossible for somebody else. It's possible for what is possible for somebody else.

Jayne: Exactly, exactly. Because I mean, I don't have any special scientific background. I mean, I'm a dental hygienist. I'm just a regular layperson. And, you know, I do believe this worked rather quickly for me. I know it doesn't work as fast for everybody, but it can work. I mean, you know, even if it takes longer, if it takes a year, if it takes two years, what do you have to lose? I mean, my goodness, like, the end result is just something you really can't believe.

Drew: Isn't it interesting how when you go back to all of the medical diagnosis you were given, degenerate disc, nerve entrapment, whatever they were, that list you had, and if you had to justify your pain five years ago or 10 years ago, even a year ago, you'd have lots of evidence that you could cite that was given to you by lots of people of authority that you really believed, and it justified you staying in pain.

Jayne: It did, it did. Because that's, I kind of had thought, this is the rest of my life, enduring till life is over, getting up and enduring the day till it was time to go to bed, to get up and endure the next day. And I know many people listening, that's what they're doing.

Drew: And when you look at how you described the last three to four months, the transition you've now got, lads of evidence, yes, to support the reason why there's no reason you should be in pain, you, and to support you being pain-free. Isn't it fascinating? It's that belief shift, and it doesn't just happen like that, as you say. It takes a process, but you engaging in, you being consistent, despite the pain not changing immediately, despite it ebbing and flowing, and you start to add in elements of life that were far beyond your reach, a belief system that was possible, and now you are doing all of those things. It's really, really amazing, Jane.

Jayne: It is, it is. I mean, I just jumped in both feet. I believed right from the beginning, and I know some people might not have the 100% belief, but I think you just have to be open, open enough to try it. And I mean, most people listening to this have probably tried a big, long list of things that I've tried as well. They haven't got you anywhere, so why not try this? You know, I just, like, go for it. It's a beautiful life on the other side of it.

And it's all that fear that everybody has. I mean, I had it as well, and the fear of it not working, even, you know, the fear of getting into all those messy, suppressed emotions or the fear of dealing with all that trauma that you've just stuffed down for all those years. On the other side of all that fear is this just amazing life that's waiting for you. And, you know, you just have to climb that mountain of fear to get there. But the other side, you really can't imagine what it's like because I know I was on that side of the mountain, and now I'm on the other, and I just want others to get there with me.

Drew: If you're explaining the concept of neuroplasticity, it's quite an alien word, even in medical circles. Not everybody understands it. If you were explaining this over a coffee to a friend, said, "This neuroplasticity, what would be your sales pitch? How would you suggest it to someone that found it really strange to consider?"

Jayne: Yes, and most people do find it very strange. Well, I mean, neuroplasticity, chronic pain can become a learned process. So, your brain learns those networks. But the good part of, you know, neuro is, you know, in the brain, the neural networks, and plasticity means change. So, the amazing part of your brain is that those networks can change. So, chronic pain is learned. I mean, I believe that wholeheartedly now, the neuroplastic chronic pain, that is. So, it can also be unlearned. And, you know, in such an amazing way, you create new pathways. So, just like an old habit, breaking an old habit, really, it takes time. You create those new pathways, and then your brain starts to use those new pathways. Occasionally, they still divert back to the old pathways that have been ingrained there for so long, but you just shift them back. "Oh no, we have a new pathway now. This is the pathway we're on." And you keep going with it, and they grow in strength.

Drew: And that you grow in confidence, don't you?

Jayne: Exactly, exactly. So, they grow and strengthen, and the old neuropathway weakens. So, that's why, you know, less over time, you'll get those symptoms popping up less and less frequently. But again, when you do, it doesn't matter because you know what it is, and you know how to deal with it.

Drew: I know you've made an investment in yourself to commit to those sessions, and people might be shy of money, might be thinking they should go, and you can do it on your own, can't you? People have done it.

Jayne: Yes, yeah, know, and I believe that. And there's a lot of free information out on, you know, Instagram, people like yourself putting posts out there, on YouTube, definitely, books which are, you know, a small investment. I know you have a book out that I'm going to read now. I just, you know, the first book that kind of popped up on the Internet is the one that I ordered. I know I do believe some people can.

I just thought for the length of time that I, I was afraid to try it on my own because I had been in chronic pain for decades and decades. I guess I shouldn't use the word afraid, but I thought, "No, I need professional help." But no, I mean, reading the book, I was probably 40-50% better, just from reading the book. And I mean, isn't that a gain for somebody if that's all they want to do and feel 50% better? My gosh, that would be a big win.

Drew: Yeah, and it's not unreasonable what you've done at all, to kind of evaluate your situation. You made a small investment of the book initially, and you intellectually can grasp the concept quite clinically. And that may start to make sense because it was just a new concept. It's not like you dismissed it for years; it just wasn't around your conversation points. And that's the same in lots of medical environments, in lots of countries of the world.

So, it can sound very novel and strange, even when you're talking about a new brand of coffee or a new place to go. Everybody's like suspicious of it, aren't they? Yes, around your health, it's even more suspicious. It sounds weird. So, the more the path gets trodden and relived and reported on by somebody who took those steps, and you're a perfect, an amazing example of someone who's took those steps with some support and with the commitment that's been consistent, then it's there for everyone to see.

J, you should, you don't need to feel proud of this, but you should really be proud of what you've done.

Jayne: Yes, no, and I am. I am proud of myself, myself. And I'll also say that I've really learned about myself in ways that I never knew before. And I'm having lots of fun with this new person.

Drew: Yeah, and could I just ask of you, you've completed your treatment now, it's kind of Jayn, just see how you go, and you’re happy with how you're doing, and you on your own?

Jayne: I'm very happy with how I'm doing. My therapist and I have just kind of left it now at like, I'll get in contact if I want another appointment with them or need another appointment. I mean, I'm 99.5% symptom-free. I still get the odd little symptom popping up here and there, usually from an emotional issue, but I know, you know, I have all the tools, and I'm going forward, making big plans, you know, more trips. I feel like I'm making up for 37 years of lost time. You know, I'm doing all kinds of things now, and I'm enjoying every day to the fullest.

Drew: It's lovely to hear it, and I'm grateful for sharing this time with you to share that story.

And are you doing other things like this? Can people contact you? Do you have a, I don't know if you're happy to put some sort of contact address or any, like a way of watching your story? I'd be, see this, but do you have any other avenues of telling this story?

Jayne: Um, I mean, I've spoken with a pain specialist in Toronto to her pain management team, but I'm not really out there too much on social media. But I could give you my email address, and if somebody wanted to contact me, I'd be, like, through that avenue. I, you know, that'd be fine if they had any questions that they wanted to ask me. And I do have another interview coming up with another physiotherapist, actually from the States. And in my own small local community, I'm batting about 50% of the practitioners that I've contacted who have seen me in the past, who have agreed to, you know, have me come in and tell them about this. I wish it was 100%, but I'm still going to keep trying and keep getting the word out there.

Drew: Oh, that's great. I appreciate that as a contact, and you can accept certain approaches, can't you? But people who listen to you and someone to speak to you should they choose to, and you connect in anywhere then. It's a very personal story you're telling, and someone listening to that and connecting with someone who's already recovered is a really good thing for their brain to actually conceptualize, isn't it?

Jayne: Right, no, definitely. No, I understand that, and yes, if somebody wants to contact me, I'd be more than willing to, you know, chat with them over the internet and answer any question they have because I really am passionate about helping others find the way to the, you know, this other side of life that's so wonderful to be at.

Drew: Yeah, thank you. Can I just ask, just before I let you go, you did mention that you've approached some of the people who used to treat you, right? You know, wanted to kind of explain to them. How did the ones that not rejected but weren't that forthcoming on listening to that, does that surprise you then anywhere?

Jayne: Uh, I guess disappointed. Um, surprised, maybe not really. Uh, because a lot of them, like you or physiotherapists or athletic therapists, maybe they feel a bit threatened by this new modality. But you've worked it into your own practice in an amazing way by, you know, having treating people with persistent pain as well as treating people with acute pain. So, you know, I don't think it has to be one or the other. You, you know, you've integrated it into your own physiotherapy practice. But I think we're a long way in my little small community from that happening. So, no, definitely disappointed. Uh, I might still, you know, I might still give it another try. I might send them actually this interview, um, in the hopes that they look at it.

Drew: It's all just putting it out there, isn't it? Right. Whether that's a talk to a local community center, whether it's a one-on-one with an email, whether it's a talk like this that might be watched by a hundred or over a year or two, maybe a thousand or two or more, who knows where it goes. But um, it's so, I'm so grateful for you giving me your time. I do see a lot of flying pigs. I'm very grateful for seeing other people have succeeded, and it isn't a question of who's had the longest pain in recovery, but yours is truly an amazing story, and it, I'm sure it'll inspire people whether they've had pain for three weeks, three months, or three years, or longer to show recovery is possible.

Jayne: Yes, yes, definitely is. And it was a pleasure to be here speaking with you, Drew.

Drew: Yeah, Jayne, thanks very much.