Last updated: May 2026
Relief does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The pain retraining techniques, breathing exercises, and educational content offered through the app are for general wellness purposes only and are not a substitute for professional medical guidance.
Relief is not a replacement for seeing a doctor. Before using this app, you should have been evaluated by a qualified healthcare provider to rule out structural, inflammatory, or other medical causes of your pain. Relief is designed for pain where the tissue story does not explain the symptoms. It is your responsibility to confirm this applies to you.
This app cannot determine whether your pain is structural or neuroplastic. Only a qualified healthcare provider can make that assessment. If you have not been examined and cleared, please do that before using this app.
Relief uses principles from pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) and pain neuroscience education (PNE). These approaches are supported by peer-reviewed research, including a randomised controlled trial published in JAMA Psychiatry (Ashar et al., 2022). However:
Research results are population-level findings. The 66% success rate reported in the Ashar et al. study refers to a specific group of participants under controlled conditions. Individual results will vary. Relief does not guarantee any specific outcome for any individual user.
Pain retraining is not appropriate for all types of pain. It is specifically designed for chronic pain where structural causes have been ruled out by a qualified healthcare provider. If you have an undiagnosed condition, an active injury, an inflammatory disorder, an infection, or cancer, pain retraining may not be appropriate and could delay necessary treatment.
Relief includes graded exposure to feared movements. This means the program will guide you to gradually engage with physical movements you have been avoiding due to pain or fear of pain. While graded exposure is a well-established therapeutic technique, it carries inherent risks:
You may experience temporary increases in pain during or after exposure exercises. This is expected within the framework of pain retraining but should not be taken as confirmation that exposure is safe for your specific condition. If you experience sharp, sudden, or qualitatively different pain during an exposure exercise, stop immediately and consult your healthcare provider.
Relief includes breathing techniques that intentionally alter your respiratory pattern. These techniques can cause lightheadedness, tingling, visual changes, and in rare cases, loss of consciousness.
Always practise breathing exercises while seated or lying down in a safe environment. Never practise breathing techniques while driving, operating machinery, in or near water, at heights, or in any situation where loss of consciousness could result in injury.
Breathing exercises that involve breath retention or extended exhales are not recommended if you have a history of:
Cardiovascular disease or abnormal blood pressure · Epilepsy or seizure disorders · Respiratory conditions including asthma or COPD · Stroke or transient ischaemic attacks · Pregnancy · Panic disorder or severe anxiety · Retinal detachment or glaucoma · Recent surgery · Any condition where changes in blood pressure, blood oxygen, or carbon dioxide levels could pose a risk.
If you are taking any medication, particularly for cardiovascular, respiratory, or neurological conditions, consult your doctor before using the breathing features of this app.
Pain retraining involves examining your relationship with pain, which can surface difficult emotions including frustration, grief, anger, and anxiety. If you have a history of trauma, PTSD, severe anxiety, or depression, be aware that this program may interact with those conditions. Relief is not a mental health intervention and is not a substitute for therapy or psychiatric care.
If the program causes significant emotional distress, pause your sessions and consult a mental health professional.
Relief is designed for adults aged 18 and over. The app is not intended for use by children or minors.
Relief makes no warranties or guarantees regarding pain reduction, health outcomes, or any specific results from using the app. Individual responses to pain retraining vary significantly. What works for one person may not be appropriate for another.
The content in this app is authored based on published pain neuroscience research and clinical pain retraining techniques, but it has not been individually prescribed for you. You are responsible for assessing whether this program is appropriate for your situation, in consultation with your healthcare provider.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Escape Velocity Studio Ltd and its creators shall not be liable for any injuries, health complications, psychological distress, damages, or losses arising from or related to your use of the app, including but not limited to pain increases during graded exposure, adverse reactions to breathing techniques, emotional distress from pain retraining content, or any reliance on information provided through the app.
Your use of Relief constitutes acceptance of these terms and acknowledgement of the risks described in this disclaimer.
We may update this disclaimer from time to time. The current version will always be available at this URL. Continued use of the app after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
Questions about this disclaimer can be sent to support@baselinerelief.app.