When pain occurs, the brain interprets and modulates these sensations like volume controls for the pain either dialing it louder or quieting it down. Hyper-sensitization occurs when the brain has the pain volume constantly turned up. Painful sensations become more severe, and some sensations that might not be painful to others reach a threshold of pain for the sensitized brain. Brain research over the past decade has shown us where the volume controls are, how they work and how to restore the volume to normal.
Briefly, we normally register pain primarily in the sensory-motor cortex of the brain. However, the hyper-sensitized person not only activates the sensory-motor cortex when experiencing pain, but also the limbic system and an area called the cingulate cortex. This “brain spread” entirely changes the pain experience, adding elements of distress and rumination. This is the suffering quality of pain. Fortunately, there are effective ways to learn to control and re-regulate the volume controls.
