Ingela Thuné-Boyle, PhD
International Health Coach 
Online Practice

Conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis involve genuine immune dysfunction and inflammation, and appropriate medical treatment is an essential part of managing them. But the immune system doesn't operate in isolation. It is closely connected to the nervous and hormonal systems, which means that psychological stress can have very real physiological effects.

In this video, I use the simple Lemon Test to demonstrate how the brain can create real physical sensations and physiological responses through thoughts, memories, and mental imagery alone. Even imagining something as ordinary as biting into a juicy lemon can cause your mouth to water, your facial muscles to respond, or your body to react as though the lemon were actually present.

In this video, I explore what it means to “teach the brain safety again” when chronic pain and persistent physical symptoms have become established through neuroplastic processes. The brain and nervous system are constantly learning and adapting, and just as they can learn patterns associated with danger and protection, they can also learn patterns associated with safety, flexibility, and recovery.

In this video, I explore why chronic illness is about far more than physical symptoms. While symptoms are often the focus of medical appointments, living with a long-term health condition can affect almost every aspect of a person's life. It can influence energy levels, daily routines, work, relationships, identity, confidence, and the ability to plan ahead, often in ways that remain invisible to others. I discuss how chronic illness changes the way people engage with the wor

In this video, I explore what chronic pain is and why persistent pain cannot always be explained by ongoing injury or tissue damage alone. Many people are told that if pain persists, there must be something structurally wrong with their body. However, research over the past few decades has shown that chronic pain is often far more complex, involving changes in the nervous system, pain processing, and the way the brain interprets signals from the body.

Living with chronic pain often means carrying more than physical discomfort. Alongside the persistent sensations in the body, many people also carry an invisible burden: self-blame. Thoughts such as “If I had taken better care of myself,” “If I were stronger,” or “I should be coping better than this” can quietly take root, turning pain into a moral failing rather than a human experience. Over time, this internalized blame can become as exhausting and harmful as the pain itsel

Research in psychology, neuroscience, and medicine has increasingly confirmed what many survivors have felt for a long time: the wounds of childhood do not simply disappear over time. Childhood trauma, whether through abuse, neglect, household instability, or chronic emotional stress, can leave lasting marks not only on the mind but also on the body. These effects are not imagined; they operate through clear biological and behavioural pathways

Chronic illness presents a relentless challenge, not only to the body but to the human spirit. Living with a condition that does not resolve quickly, and may never fully disappear, demands more than just medical intervention; it requires resilience. Resilience - the capacity to adapt in the face of adversity - becomes a vital psychological resource for those navigating the long, unpredictable terrain of chronic illness.

Pain is rarely simple, and for many people living with chronic conditions, it is not confined to a single cause. Some experience both neuroplastic pain - pain that arises from the nervous system’s learned patterns of over-sensitization or misfiring - and structural pain, caused by identifiable damage or dysfunction in the body’s tissues, joints, or organs.