The Brain’s Role in Pain: Decoding Nociception

Photo by Robina Weermeijer on Unsplash

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my career is the difference between pain and nociception. This distinction is crucial for anyone who wants to understand the new science of pain—and more importantly, how to relieve it.

Nociception refers to the release of chemicals in response to an injury, like when you have a fall, a fracture, or even after surgery. When this happens, those chemicals travel through your nerves into the spinal cord and, eventually, to your brain. This process is what we call nociception—it’s your body’s way of signaling that something has happened.

But here’s where it gets fascinating: the brain doesn’t just passively receive these signals.

It actively interprets them, drawing on past experiences to predict what’s happening and deciding how to respond.

The brain’s ultimate goal is always to protect you.

It asks, “Where is this nociception coming from? Have I encountered this before? What should I do to keep this person safe?”

Sometimes, though, this protective mechanism can become flawed, and the result is a pain experience.

Pain, then, isn’t just about the injury—it’s a complex response shaped by your brain’s interpretation of nociception.

This understanding has completely transformed the way I approach pain management. By focusing not just on the site of the injury but on how the brain processes nociception, we can find new ways to address pain.

My goal is to share this knowledge with as many people as possible because I believe that understanding your pain is the first step toward healing it.