Welcome to Healing Together with Dr. Andrew Bennett—a companion course to the book that helps you understand chronic pain and the power of connection in healing. Designed for partners, families, and caregivers, this course blends neuroscience, real stories, and practical tools to restore hope, self-efficacy, and wholeness.

In the Introduction of Healing Together, Dr. Andrew Bennett reframes healing as reclaiming wholeness—not getting fixed. Discover how dignity, self-efficacy, and hope create the foundation for lasting change. Learn how to restore connection, rebuild agency, and bring value and meaning back into your relationship.

Healing doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens in relationship. In this chapter of Healing Together, you’ll explore the power of honesty, connection, and hope in supporting a loved one with chronic pain. Learn how acknowledging your own experience can open the door to shared healing and meaningful change.

Discover what pain really is—and why it’s different for everyone. In Chapter 2 of Healing Together, Dr. Andrew Bennett explains how the brain, beliefs, and past experiences shape pain. Learn to understand your Partner’s pain with compassion, deepen connection, and begin changing the way you both experience healing.

Learn the three types of pain—and why identifying them changes everything. In Chapter 3 of Healing Together, Dr. Bennett explains nociceptive pain, peripheral neuropathic pain, and persistent central pain in simple, clear language. Understanding the type of pain your Partner has helps you shift from fear to clarity, and from confusion to a grounded plan for healing.

In Chapter 4 of Healing Together, Dr. Bennett explains how the brain decides what deserves attention—and why pain is its strongest signal. You’ll learn how the brain filters sensation, what turns signals into pain, and how fear and past experiences shape these responses. This chapter reveals the “pain alarm system,” helping you better understand your Partner’s reactions and support their healing with confidence.

Chapter 5, Part 1 introduces the homunculus, the brain’s map of the body, and how ongoing pain can blur it. When this map loses clarity, sensations can feel widespread or unpredictable. Gentle awareness helps restore accuracy and calm pain.

Chapter 5 part 2 brings the homunculus to life through a practical demonstration of how the brain’s map can be retrained. Using simple tools like touch, mirrors, and mindful attention, Dr. Bennett shows how sensory feedback sharpens body awareness and reduces the nervous system’s need to send pain signals. This chapter gives you a clear, hopeful look at how neuroplasticity works—and how small, consistent exercises can help your Partner reconnect with their body in safe, meaningful ways.

Experience how persistent pain trains the brain to live on “high alert.” In Chapter 6, Dr. Bennett uses a powerful submarine sonar analogy to show why your partner’s nervous system often reacts like danger is approaching—even when the signal is harmless. Understanding this alarm system helps you support your partner with empathy, steadiness, and safety.

Explore why chronic pain drains energy so quickly and why your partner’s capacity may feel smaller than it used to. In Chapter 7 of Healing Together, Dr. Bennett explains the boom-and-bust cycle, survival mode, and the importance of rebuilding recovery rhythms. Understanding energy and capacity helps you support healing with more clarity, compassion, and steadiness.

Learn why persistent pain makes the brain predict the worst—and how safety helps reverse the cycle. In Chapter 8 of Healing Together, Dr. Bennett explains catastrophization, fear, and the role of safety in changing the pain experience. Discover how to support your Partner with steadiness and understanding as the brain learns a new way to interpret sensation.

Opioids can be both a source of relief and a source of fear—especially in the world of persistent pain. In Chapter 9 of Healing Together, Dr. Bennett explains how opioids interact with the nervous system, why they often lose effectiveness over time, and how they can sometimes increase sensitivity instead of reducing it.

Ketamine isn’t just a medication—it’s an experience. In Chapter 10, Dr. Bennett explains how ketamine reduces the brain’s threat response, creating space for new perspectives and emotional relief. This chapter helps you understand what to expect, how to support your partner before and after sessions, and why safety and integration are essential for lasting change.

Recovery doesn’t begin with the right treatment—it begins with the right practices. In Chapter 11 of Healing Together, Dr. Bennett introduces the triad that consistently leads partners out of persistent central pain: honesty, self-efficacy, and hope. Learn why these practices matter, how they work together, and why partners are often the spark that brings healing back into reach.

Honesty is where healing begins. In Chapter 12 of Healing Together, Dr. Bennett explains how naming the truth—without blame or judgment—helps couples step out of confusion, shame, and fear. Learn how honesty restores connection, reveals what’s actually standing in the way of recovery, and lays the foundation for self-efficacy and hope.

Self-efficacy is the spark that turns understanding into action. In Chapter 13 of Healing Together, Dr. Bennett explains how small, meaningful steps help break the cycle of helplessness and rebuild the belief that change is possible. Learn how tiny wins calm the nervous system, restore confidence, and create the momentum needed for long-term healing.

Hope isn’t optimism—it’s the practiced belief that change is possible. In Chapter 14 of Healing Together, Dr. Bennett shows how hope forms through honesty, builds through small wins, and strengthens the nervous system for long-term recovery. Learn how to cultivate a grounded, realistic hope that helps both partners move forward—even when the path is difficult.

“Investing in the end” means seeing beyond today’s pain and choosing actions that build the future you want to share. In Chapter 15, Dr. Bennett helps you understand why persistent pain happens, what role you play in recovery, and how to take clear, compassionate next steps together. It’s an invitation to shift from fear to clarity—and to keep moving forward with purpose and hope.

Healing does not happen in isolation. When insight is met with connection, guidance, and care, it becomes something you can live—not just understand. This chapter invites you to continue forward with support.