Roadmap

A map to recovery, not an absolute guide

Each person’s pain is caused by a unique set of problems, and this means that each person’s recovery will be different. We designed this book as a map to help you navigate towards recovery - rather than a prescription, or absolute guide. 

While all pain is different, the biology that creates pain is similar. This means that there are common themes and patterns that apply to all people with persistent pain. Understanding these patterns will help you better manage your own recovery.

We’ve designed the book in layers. You can skim through the sections to get a sense of the territory - what to expect, and where to begin. Then, when you’re ready, you can return to the parts that interest you, digging deeper into the concepts and applying them to your own situation. The more you come back, the more detailed your map will become.

The book is structured with learning in mind. You don’t have to read it in one go. In fact, we don’t expect you to. You can put it down and come back. We know that pain doesn’t just affect your body - it affects your energy, focus, and ability to learn. So go easy on yourself. But if you can, be consistent. Even small efforts, over time, will help.

It might help to read this book alongside someone else - discussing the ideas, and asking questions of each other. We’ve also included tools that apply the concepts to your own situation. Using these, it is important to realise your own limitations, and seek inout from your healthcare team. To guide these sessions, we have included a list of questions that you can take to your health professionals. This is an important step for safety - but it’s also a part of effective healthcare.

Learning about pain helps you to ask better questions. It gives you a framework for organising ideas, and identify potential blind spots. Over time, it will help you to build a healthcare team that fits with your own values and needs.

If you’re reading this, then you’re already in a group of people who are more likely to recover from chronic pain. Recovering from pain takes effort, and you’re putting that effort in. If all you do today is acknowledge this, then you will have made important progress. 

Recovery is a marathon - not a sprint. You can start by familiarising yourself with the path ahead, and then schedule time to start learning more.