New research on the immune system, hormones, and how treatments like CBT can help relieve persistent pain
Living with chronic pain can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and isolating. Whether your pain begins after an injury, surgery, illness, or accident, ongoing discomfort can affect every part of life — your mood, sleep, energy, work, and relationships. Many people quietly wonder, “Will this ever get better?” and many who are asking are women.
The encouraging answer is: yes, meaningful relief is possible.
The Science on Pain Differences Between Men & Women
New scientific research is helping us understand better why pain sometimes becomes long-lasting and how women are affected. A recent article in The Conversation explains how the immune system plays a powerful role not only in creating pain after injury, but also in helping it resolve.
Researchers found that a molecule called interleukin-10 (IL-10) helps calm pain signals in the nervous system, allowing healing to occur. Interestingly, biological differences — including hormonal factors — may explain why women are more likely than men to experience chronic pain. These findings are opening the door to new ways of understanding and treating persistent pain (Source: The Conversation, 2024).
While biology is an important part of the story, it is only one piece. Pain is influenced by the nervous system, emotional stress, past experiences, thought patterns, and daily behaviors. This is why psychotherapy — especially Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for pain — is one of the most effective treatments for chronic pain.
How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Helps Chronic Pain
CBT is a gentle, supportive, and practical therapy that helps people understand how their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and nervous system responses interact with physical pain. It does not mean pain is “all in your head.” Instead, CBT recognizes that pain is very real — and that the brain plays a powerful role in how pain is processed, experienced, and regulated.
Chronic pain often creates cycles of fear, stress, frustration, and avoidance. Over time, these emotional and physical reactions can increase muscle tension, heighten nervous system sensitivity, disrupt sleep, and intensify pain. CBT helps break these cycles by teaching skills that reduce pain-related anxiety, improve emotional regulation, restore healthy movement, and build confidence in the body again.
Research consistently shows that CBT for chronic pain can reduce pain intensity, improve daily functioning, enhance mood, improve sleep, and increase overall quality of life. Most importantly, it helps people regain a sense of control and hope.
Compassionate, Expert Care with Bill Prasad
Practice owner and psychotherapist Bill Prasad, LPC-S, is specially trained in CBT for chronic pain treatment. His approach is warm, collaborative, and personalized. Bill works closely with each patient to understand their unique experience of pain, emotional challenges, and personal goals. By combining evidence-based therapy techniques with deep empathy and education, he helps patients develop practical tools for lasting relief and emotional resilience.
If you are living with chronic pain, you do not have to face it alone. Therapy offers a supportive path forward — one that respects your experience, honors your strength, and helps you reconnect with comfort, confidence, and well-being.
Sources:
The Conversation. “Why pain lasts longer in women than men — new research reveals the immune system’s role.”
NBC News: Why Does Women’s Pain Lasts Longer than Men
