â—‘ Pain Debugging Intensive
A 30 day intensive to debug your pain. Go from stuck and frustrated in pain to light and moving freely with a supportive cohort.
🗓 1 month. Starting Jan 25
🗺 Location: Online (register interest here). Space limited.
💰 $450 (scholarships available)
Why This Works #
Most pain treatment follows a mechanical model: find the “broken” part and fix it. But modern neuroscience reveals that chronic pain is more like a software bug than a hardware problem - it’s often a miscalibrated prediction system, not tissue damage.
Key research backing this approach:
- Ashar et al. (2022) demonstrated 67% recovery rate in chronic back pain patients after 4 weeks
- Our pilot sessions have shown similar results across various pain conditions (RSI, chronic back pain, neck pain)
- Built on established principles of the neuroscience of pain, predictive processing, and evolutionary biology
How It Works #
Format
- 9 live sessions (3x week 1, 2x weeks 2-4)
- Daily guided practice materials
- 1:1 support as needed
- Small cohort
Content
- Understanding: Map your pain patterns using tools from systems thinking and neuroscience
- Processing: Evidence-based techniques for recalibrating pain responses
- Integration: Practical strategies for maintaining progress under real-world conditions
Prerequisites #
[Suggested] You are familiar with our Principles of Pain and are intrigued by the Pain Debugging Protocol and would like a more structured experience.
You are grappling with wrist pain, backaches, or some form of persistent pain.
You are willing to put aside 1 hour per day for a month
Here’s what one of our past clients says about going through our process:
Ready to Debug Your Pain?
→ Register Interest Here (5 spots left)
→ Schedule 15-min consultation
→ Email questions to max@processing-pain.com
You can register interest here.
Register here“As a result of the course I’ve experienced a significant reduction in my chronic neck pain. I’ve also become far more comfortable with my interior life and experience less resistance settling into mindfulness practices. Max and Tanner are generous-spirited teachers who are genuinely invested in their student’s quality of life. They bring care and a community ethos to support the sometimes emotionally fraught work of pain reprocessing.” - Zoe Fahy
Note: We will always continue to open source our knowledge and practices. This intensive provides structured implementation and personalized guidance on top of our public materials.
Who are you? #
Hi, I’m Max Shen. After experiencing debilitating RSI during my graduate work at MIT, I spent hundreds of hours researching pain science and eventually developed a systems approach to pain resolution. Now, as a pain researcher and certified Pain Reprocessing Therapy practitioner, I combine computational models with practical techniques to help others debug their chronic pain. My work draws from cognitive science, predictive processing, and direct experience helping dozens recover from persistent pain.
I’m Tanner Holman, a movement specialist and physiotherapy student who recovered from chronic back pain by approaching it as a whole-system challenge rather than just a mechanical problem. I blend insights from predictive processing theory with innovative movement practices (Fighting Monkey, Feldenkrais) to help people rebuild trust with their bodies. My approach complements Max’s technical framework with practical movement strategies for lasting pain relief.
FAQ #
Q: Why a whole hour per day?
We are trying to unlearn habits. 1 hour is 4% of a day. We need to use it wisely if we want to lead to lasting shifts. It is important that this hour is not sandwiched between two otherwise busy periods, but that it happens before or after a normal working period.