Overcoming Postherpetic Neuralgia. A Personal Story of Nerve Pain After Shingles, Neuroplasticity, and Supporting the Nervous System

After a shingles infection, Monika Griessenberger developed postherpetic neuralgia, a form of persistent nerve pain that quietly reshaped her everyday life. What began as a physical condition soon became something more complex:an experience that affected not only her body, but her sense of safety, identity, and the way she moved through the world. This is not a medical guide. It is a personal story.
A story of living with invisible pain. Of searching for relief. Of navigating uncertainty, fear, and the loss of a familiar life. And of discovering, slowly and often unexpectedly, that the nervous system can change. Through reflections on neuroplasticity, inner dialogue, and the body's response to stress and safety, this book explores a different way of relating to chronic pain - not as something to fight constantly, but as something that can be understood, supported, and, over time, gently reshaped.
This is not a story of quick fixes or clear answers. It is a quiet account of adaptation, resilience, and the small shifts that can begin to make a difference. For anyone living with nerve pain after shingles - or navigating a life changed by chronic pain - this book offers something simple, but meaningful:The sense that you are not alone in this. Written with honesty and care, this memoir invites you to move at your own pace - and to take what feels supportive along the way.