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Welcome To
PainEase Coaching
Guiding You from Chronic Pain to
Resilience, Purpose, & Renewed Vitality
Meet your Chronic Pain Coach
Simone Steyn
(Hons.psyc, PgDip Pain Mx, Master Health)
Hello! I'm Simone, your dedicated PainEase Coach. With years of experience in holistic pain management, I guide clients through personalized pathways like RISE for neuroplastic transformation, FLOW for optimizing mixed pain, and Fibro-Focus Immersive for specialized fibromyalgia support. My approach blends brain rewiring, mindfulness, emotional processing, and lifestyle changes to help you ease suffering and build resilience. Let's embark on your journey to relief together—because you deserve to bloom, no matter the challenges.
Personally,
I have lived a very full life thus far and have gained so much life experience both inner and text-book knowledge. I am a mom to a very special Rottie called Gabriel, a daughter to a wonderful mom, a friend to a few incredible individuals and a partner to my higher self. I am always striving to transform my former self. My previous career was in teaching and performing in ballet and contemporary. Dancing is my stress release and one of my greatest joys in life. Living a wholesome, peaceful and healthy holistic life is something that I most value.
Professionally,
I am a certified health and wellbeing, pain coach, a mind-body coach, a pain reprocessing therapy practitioner, a counsellor, and a health researcher and still learning... My area of specialization is in chronic pain, mind-body syndromes, psychology, health and wellbeing, PNI (psychoneuroimmunology) and especially fibromyalgia. My diverse training across various modalities, coupled with my personal journey, has given me deep insights into working with individuals who are living with daily pain and suffering. My expertise lies in fibromyalgia, mind-body pain and symptom recovery, a field I am particularly passionate about due to my own experiences. Additionally, I have enriched my knowledge base through my work as a health researcher where I completed my masters in chronic pain.
Explore my [ Coaching Programs ] to see how I Support Healing.
Qualifications:
Certificates in 1) Addiction Coaching, 2) Health & Wellbeing Coaching, 3) Pain Reprocessing Therapy Practitioner, 4) PNI- Psychoneuroimmunology Coaching; Diploma in Counselling; Bachelor in Applied Social Sciences; Honors in Counselling Psychology; Postgraduate Diploma in Interdisciplinary Pain Management; Masters in Public Health Research (in chronic pain).
Professional Memberships & Registrations:
Association for Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms (ATNS); Pain South Africa (PainSA); International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP); Association for Supportive Counsellors & Holistic Practitioners (ASCHP: Registration no: SWC22/1428)
My purpose is to support you in making the same shifts I’ve made — from suffering and hopelessness to resilience, inner peace, and a renewed sense of meaning on this ever-evolving path of healing.
Demystifying Pain: Pain Neuroscience Education 101
Neuroscience shows us that pain is complex and multifaceted, but understanding it is the first step to relief. Pain neuroscience education (PNE) is recognized as a crucial component of a comprehensive, multimodal approach to chronic pain. Below, is a breakdown that simply works through the different PNE concepts from acute vs. chronic, structural vs. non-structural, primary vs. secondary differences, to the main types of chronic pain.
At PainEase Coaching, programs are tailored to your pain type—helping you move from struggle to strength.
Acute Pain (Structural Pain)
Is sudden in onset. It begins quickly, often as a result of a specific event.
Is a signal of actual or potential tissue damage. It's your body's alarm system, warning you that something is wrong and prompting you to take action to protect yourself (e.g., pulling your hand away from a hot stove).
Has a limited duration. It's short-lived, typically lasting from a few seconds to a few days, weeks, or at most, a few months. It's expected to resolve as the underlying injury or illness heals.
Has a clear cause. It's usually associated with an identifiable event like an injury, surgery, burn, cut, or illness.
Examples: A sprained ankle, post-surgery discomfort, or a burn.
At PainEase Coaching, acute pain isn't our focus, but understanding it helps prevent it from becoming chronic.
Chronic Pain (Non-Structural or Structural)
Chronic pain, is pain that persists or recurs for longer than three months. It's pain that continues after the usual healing time for an injury or illness has passed.
A Disease, Not Just a Symptom: Unlike acute pain, which is a signal of immediate harm (like a broken bone), chronic pain often becomes a condition in and of itself. The nervous system can become "stuck" in a state of perceiving danger, even if the original cause is no longer present.
Multifactorial: It's influenced by a complex mix of biological, psychological, and social factors. It's not just a physical sensation; it can be deeply intertwined with mood, sleep, stress, and lifestyle.
Impact on Daily Life: It can significantly interfere with a person's ability to work, socialize, exercise, and enjoy a good quality of life. It can lead to other issues like depression, anxiety, fatigue, and limited mobility.
Can Be With or Without an Identifiable Cause: Sometimes, chronic pain is the result of an ongoing condition like arthritis or a nerve disorder. Other times, it can be a condition like fibromyalgia or chronic migraine, where there is no clear injury or disease to explain the pain. This doesn't make the pain any less real.
Examples: Arthritis, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, chronic headaches, chronic back, neck or shoulder pain, etc.
At PainEase Coaching, chronic pain is the specialty, using pathways like RISE and FLOW to ease its impact and foster resilience.
Chronic Pain Classifications
Not all chronic pain is the same. Understanding how pain works is key to finding the right pathway forward.
Lets look at primary versus secondary ALONGSIDE structural vs. non-structural chronic pain.
Chronic Primary Pain: is the diagnosis you give when pain is the main health problem, independent of any other underlying condition that could fully explain it. The pain is a disease in its own right. The mechanism driving this type of pain is primarily neuroplastic/nociplastic.
Chronic Secondary Pain: is the diagnosis you give when the pain is a significant symptom of another chronic medical condition. The pain is a secondary effect of an identifiable disease or injury. The pain mechanisms involved are typically nociceptive or neuropathic.
Structural Pain: is caused by a specific, identifiable physical issue within the body. It is often diagnosed using imaging (like X-rays or MRIs), or through a physical examination. This can be acute or chronic.
Non-Structural Pain: is not caused by an identifiable physical problem, injury, or disease that can be seen on imaging or through a standard physical exam. It is often linked to the nervous system's heightened sensitivity or other factors. This falls under chronic pain.
Non-Structural Neuroplastic Pain
This primary chronic pain arises from changes in the brain and nervous system's pain processing, generally without ongoing tissue damage—it's like a "learned" pain signal that persists. Also known as nociplastic pain, neural pathway pain, mind-body syndrome, (MBS) or Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS).
Some examples include:
- Fibromyalgia (Fibro-Focused program)
- Back and neck pain, including most disc bulges and degenerative changes
-Tension headaches/migraines
-Irritable bowel syndrome
In PainEase Coaching, the RISE Program and the Fibro-Focused Program is designed for neuroplastic pain, helping to rewire brain pathways, soften nervous system over-protection, optimize emotional processing and potentially resolve symptoms, fostering emergence into a pain-reduced life.
Structural- Nociceptive Pain
This type of pain occurs when actual organic damage is found in the biology and structure of the body. It stems from inflammation and/or tissue damage in the body's structures (e.g., muscles, joints, or organs). It's often localized and responds to physical triggers.
Some examples include:
- Cancer pain
-Some arthritic conditions
-Some neurodegenerative conditions
Autoimmune conditions:
-Inflammatory bowel disease: Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis
-Systemic lupus erythematosus
-Ankylosing spondylitis
-Rheumatoid arthritis
-Psoriatic arthritis
At PainEase Coaching, the FLOW Program optimizes management for structural pain, helping you build emotional resilience, social enhancement and ease daily discomfort through targeted lifestyle and mindfulness strategies.
Structural-Neuropathic Pain
Neuropathic pain is a type of pain that comes directly from damage or disease in the somatosensory nervous system, which includes the nerves, spinal cord, and brain. Unlike other pain types that signal tissue damage, neuropathic pain is caused by the nerves themselves malfunctioning. They send faulty, amplified signals to the brain, leading to a variety of unusual and often intense sensations.
People describe neuropathic pain with words like:
Burning
Shooting or stabbing
Electric shock-like
Tingling or "pins and needles"
Numbness
Some examples include:
-Multiple sclerosis
-Diabetic neuropathy
-Sciatic (often mixed with neuroplastic pain)
-Trigeminal neuralgia
-Postherpetic neuralgia
At PainEase Coaching, the FLOW Program optimizes management for structural pain.
Mixed Pain
This type of pain occurs when both structural (nociceptive or neuropathic) and non-structural (neuroplastic) pain processes combine making it complex and multifaceted. Examples include a person with rheumatoid arthritis (structural inflammatory pain) who also has fibromyalgia (non-structural neuroplastic pain) or multiple sclerosis (nerve damage plus amplified nervous system pain processing-neuroplastic).
The FLOW Program supports people with mixed pain, working on lifestyle optimization, resilience, and nervous system regulation to reduce the burden of pain.
Personally,
I have lived a very full life thus far and have gained so much life experience and inner and text-book knowledge. I am a mom to a very special Rottie called Gabriel, a daughter, a friend to a few incredible women and a partner to my higher self. I am always striving to transform my former self. My previous career was in teaching and performing in ballet and contemporary. Dancing is my stress release and one of my greatest joys in life. Living a wholesome, peaceful and healthy holistic life is something that I most value.
Professionally,
I am a certified health and wellbeing, neuroplasticity coach, a counsellor, and health researcher. My area of specialization is in chronic pain, mind-body syndromes, psychology, health and wellbeing coaching and mental health counselling, psychoneuroimmunology and especially fibromyalgia. My diverse training across various modalities, coupled with my personal journey, has given me deep insights into working with individuals who are living with daily pain and suffering. My expertise lies in fibromyalgia pain and symptom recovery, a field I am particularly passionate about due to my own experiences. Additionally, I have enriched my knowledge base through my work as a health researcher where I completed my masters in chronic pain.
Explore my [ Coaching Programs ] to see how I Support Healing.
It is my intention to help you experience the shifts that I have made from hopelessness and suffering to having a huge transformation resulting in joy, inner peace, having purpose and of course barely feeling my fibromyalgia.
Free Training: 5 Key Drivers of Fibromyalgia
FREE VIDEO SERIES
WHAT YOU"LL LEARN DURING THIS FREE TRAINING
Key Driver 1: Learn about the greatest contributor to your fibromyalgia pain and symptoms - The Brain.
Key Driver 2: Uncover the role of chronic inflammation. Discover how inflammation throughout your body contributes to fibromyalgia symptoms.
Key Driver 3: Discover one of the causes behind your fatigue. Find out how poorly functioning mitochondria can lead to fatigue and pain.
Key Driver 4: The Impact of a dysfunctional gut microbiome. Discover how an imbalanced gut microbiome can exacerbate your symptoms.
Key Driver 5: Emotional distress and fibromyalgia. Recognize the link between destructive mind states and fibromyalgia.
Special Bonus: An exiting healing bonus for you.
