Pain Network Builder
What is this tool?
The Pain Network Builder is a visual tool designed to be used together with your clinician. It helps you map out the things that are part of your pain experience — what started it, what it affects, and how those things connect to each other. You can then use the Analyse feature to explore how changes in one part of your life might ripple through the rest of the network.
Getting started
When you first open the tool you'll be asked two questions at the bottom of the screen:
"How did your pain begin?" — Type your answer and press Add. This creates your first node (a box or circle representing that factor) and automatically connects it to a central Pain node.
"What does this affect?" — Type each thing your pain affects and press Add. Each answer becomes a new node connected to Pain. Keep adding as many as you like — sleep, work, mood, relationships, activity, and so on.
You can also load one of the ready-made clinical networks from the ☰ Networks menu if you'd prefer to start from an existing template.
Moving around
- Drag any node to reposition it
- Scroll on empty space to zoom in and out
- Drag on empty space to pan the whole network
- Scroll over a node to resize it
- Scroll over a link to make it thicker or thinner
Editing your network
Double-click any node to open its edit menu. From here you can:
- Rename the node — click the name field and type a new one
- Change its colour — click one of the five colour swatches (red, orange, green, teal, blue)
- Manage links — each other node in the network is listed. Click the badge next to it to cycle through: ＋ connect, ● more (this factor increases the other), or ● less (this factor reduces the other)
- Set arrow direction — click the arrow symbol (→ ← ↔) to choose whether the influence flows to, from, or both ways between the two nodes
- Add a connected node — type a name at the bottom of the menu to create a new node linked directly to this one, rather than back to Pain
- Delete the node — click 🗑 (you'll be asked to confirm)
Drag any arrow to bend it into a curve — useful when arrows overlap.
What the links mean
| Link type | Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| More | Red | This factor increases or worsens the other |
| Less | Cyan | This factor reduces or improves the other |
Thickness represents how strongly one factor influences the other — scroll over a link to adjust it.
Arrow direction shows which way the influence flows. Many relationships in pain are bidirectional — poor sleep worsens pain, and pain worsens sleep.
Node size and what it means
Node size has meaning in the analysis. A larger node represents a factor that is more significant or prevalent for you before any specific input. You can scroll over any node to resize it. This affects the starting point of the analysis.
The Analyse feature
The Analyse feature is an educational tool, not a medical measurement. The colours and percentages show a simplified model of how factors might influence each other based on current understanding of pain science. Every person's experience is unique. This tool is far from perfect or complete, and may at times behave unexpectedly. Use this as a conversation starter with your clinician — not as a diagnosis or prediction.
Click ⚡ Analyse in the top bar to open the Analyse panel, then switch the mode ON.
When analyse mode is active:
- Every node changes colour on a scale from cyan (less active / fewer problems) through neutral grey to red (more active / more problems)
- The Pain node shows a dial around its outside that tracks like a clock — starting at the bottom and sweeping clockwise as Pain increases
To explore the network — hover your mouse over any node, then press:
- = or + to introduce a "more problems" signal to that node
- − to introduce a "fewer problems" signal
Press repeatedly to strengthen the effect. Watch how the signal ripples through the connected nodes — some may respond immediately, others after a delay, and some may behave in unexpected ways due to feedback loops.
To reset — click ↺ Reset all beliefs to return the network to its starting state.
Saving and loading your network
Open ☰ Networks and scroll to Save current network. Type a name and click Save. Your network is stored in your browser and will be available next time you open the tool on the same device.
To load a saved network or a built-in clinical template, simply click its name in the Networks menu.
To share your exact network layout with your clinician or use it as a starting point for a future session, click 📋 Copy full preset — this copies the complete network data to your clipboard, which can be pasted into a message or document.
This tool and text has been built with AI assistance.