Comments or feedback? Send us a text! What if chronic pain isn't simply a reflection of tissue damage, but also of how the brain interprets and responds to danger?In this episode of Thoughts on Record, Dr. Pete Kelly sits down with health psychologist and pain researcher Dr. Carly Hunt to explore the neuroscience of chronic pain and the remarkable capacity of the brain to change. Drawing on her research at Johns Hopkins and her own lived experience overcoming treatment-resistant pain, Dr. Hunt explains how neuroplasticity, emotions, stress, and our environment shape the experience of pain—and how they can also become powerful tools for recovery.Together, they discuss why chronic pain persists long after an injury has healed, how the nervous system becomes sensitized, the role of inflammation and stress, why validation matters in healthcare, and the evidence supporting behavioral approaches to reducing pain. The conversation also explores fear, movement, self-compassion, the placebo effect, and practical strategies for "retraining the brain" to restore safety, resilience, and quality of life.Whether you're living with chronic pain, supporting someone who is, or you're a healthcare professional interested in the latest pain science, this episode offers an evidence-based and hopeful perspective on one of medicine's most challenging conditions.Guest: Dr. Carly Hunt, PhDHealth psychologist, pain researcher, and author of Train Your Brain to Beat Chronic Pain: How to Harness the Power of the Mind–Body Connection.https://www.presentmindconsulting.com/about-me

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