When Touch Heals: The Neuroscience of Therapeutic Contact and Pain Relief

🎙️ EP31 — When Touch Heals: The Neuroscience of Therapeutic Contact and Pain ReliefWhat if the most powerful pain-relief tool in a physiotherapist's clinic isn't a technique — it's the quality of presence behind the hands? Gary Chen sits down with Dr. Claire, a Gold Coast-based pain neuroscience physiotherapist, to unpack the precise neuroscience of how therapeutic touch modulates pain — and why Eastern healing traditions have had the mechanism right for millennia.🗣️ **Dr. Claire** — Gold Coast-based physiotherapist, pain neuroscience and nervous system regulation specialist, 12 years in complex chronic pain care.---🧠 **What You'll Learn**🔬 Why brainwaves synchronise between two people during therapeutic touch (PNAS 2018)🫁 C-tactile afferents: the nerve fibres that detect the emotional quality of touch⚖️ Oxytocin released by touch acts directly on your spinal pain gate🧬 Active Inference: chronic pain as a nervous system prediction problem🥋 Qi healing touch and biobehavioural synchrony — same mechanism, different language🌿 Maria's case study: 8 years of chronic back pain, and the turning point📱 61% pain reduction with manual therapy + neuroscience education vs 45% alone (Kasimis 2024 RCT)👣 3 practical tools to activate affective touch — in clinic and at home---✨ **Systems Discussed**Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qigong, Western Pain Neuroscience, Gate Control Theory, Active Inference, Biobehavioural Synchrony---👨‍⚕️ **Hosted by Gary Chen** — Registered Physiotherapist (AHPRA), Founder GC Integrative Physiotherapy & Wellness, Gold Coast. Dry needling, manual therapy, pain neuroscience, integrative rehabilitation.🌐 gcintegrative.com.au | 📸 @garyrockhide | 🎬 /@gcintegrative | 📚 gcintegrative.com.au/resources | 🌴 amazon.com.au/author/garychen | 🎙️ Spotify & Apple Podcasts: The Wellness Bridge**Together!! We find balance in ONE!!!**---⚠️ Educational purposes only. Not medical advice. All clinical examples are de-identified. Audio and video produced with AI-assisted tools. Consult a qualified healthcare professional for personal health decisions.