mikeinlondon
Well known member
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share a way I’ve been thinking about central sensitization (CS) that helped me make sense of my own experience. I hope it can spark discussion or provide another perspective.
Two Layers of CS
I’ve found that CS isn’t just about “pain” or “fear” in isolation — it’s actually two overlapping processes:
How S and T Work Together
Why This Matters
Takeaway
This is just one way to frame CS:
Understanding this distinction can help explain why pain, fatigue, or tension persists even when nothing is physically wrong, and why some techniques work — they reduce T while letting S exist safely.
I’d love to hear thoughts or feedback — does this resonate with your experience?
I have simply found though my experimentation that cs is the hallucination of signals - both sensory and threat tagging - of the limbic brain. The brain simply created the hallucination and forgot that it’s the author and is running a hallucination loop. I meditated today and felt the raw sensations in calmness and I realised the way to break the loop is to lower the threat level and let the raw sensations be processed by the brain teaching it that it’s safe and as it accepts this the mind hallucinations will go away.
— Mike
I wanted to share a way I’ve been thinking about central sensitization (CS) that helped me make sense of my own experience. I hope it can spark discussion or provide another perspective.
Two Layers of CS
I’ve found that CS isn’t just about “pain” or “fear” in isolation — it’s actually two overlapping processes:
- Sensory Hallucination (S)
- Normal bodily sensations (pressure, touch, heartbeat, breathing, posture) are amplified by the nervous system.
- The tissues are healthy; nothing is broken.
- But the brain makes these signals feel louder or more intense than they are.
- This explains why small, everyday sensations can feel overwhelming.
- Threat Hallucination (T)
- The brain — especially the limbic system — interprets these amplified sensations as dangerous.
- Even if you know rationally that you are safe, your body responds as if you’re in danger.
- This is separate from the sensation itself; it’s the “danger tag” applied to the signal.
- T produces fear, tension, hypervigilance, and other high-arousal states.
How S and T Work Together
- S “looks” threatening to the brain, so T stays high.
- High T increases arousal, which can amplify S even more.
- Together, they form a feedback loop, which is why CS can feel relentless and confusing.
Why This Matters
- If you can reduce T — through mindfulness, relaxation, hypnosis, or exposure — you can experience S without fear or agitation.
- Experiencing S in isolation teaches the brain that the sensations are safe, which gradually weakens both S and T.
- In my experience, during deep relaxation or hypnosis, sensations stayed strong but calmness returned, showing that S and T are separable.
Takeaway
This is just one way to frame CS:
- S = “How loud are the signals?”
- T = “Does the brain think they’re dangerous?”
Understanding this distinction can help explain why pain, fatigue, or tension persists even when nothing is physically wrong, and why some techniques work — they reduce T while letting S exist safely.
I’d love to hear thoughts or feedback — does this resonate with your experience?
I have simply found though my experimentation that cs is the hallucination of signals - both sensory and threat tagging - of the limbic brain. The brain simply created the hallucination and forgot that it’s the author and is running a hallucination loop. I meditated today and felt the raw sensations in calmness and I realised the way to break the loop is to lower the threat level and let the raw sensations be processed by the brain teaching it that it’s safe and as it accepts this the mind hallucinations will go away.
— Mike
