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San Diego Therapist Specialties:
Chronic Pain Therapy and Treatment
Common Concerns related to Chronic Pain:
- Feeling that other people do not believe your pain because it is not obvious or visible
- Fear that pain means damage is occurring
- Concern that people see you as your illness, not as your self
- Losses that the pain or illness cause, such as loss of hobbies, ability to work as usual, relationships that fall away
- Dealing with “compassion fatigue” among caregivers/support system
Pain can be considered your body’s alarm system. At times, it signals danger and is vital for survival. Other times, pain is more of a false alarm; and in those cases, there are things you can do to manage, reduce, and even eliminate pain.
Pain messages that normally get to the brain can be blocked by various means. The first is education: it is important to understand your diagnosis, the condition, and why you are having the pain. This understanding establishes a foundation for taking constructive steps in dealing with it. Secondly, “distraction” techniques can be used, which include breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, tai chi, etc. By relieving stress, these activities also relieve pain. Additionally, you can implement physical distractions, like the use of hot or cold applications, changing body positions and exercises, if only for a few minutes at a time.
The following exercises are consistent with the mind-body approach to most cases of pain-reduction: walking in order to enhance mobility, stretching to improve range of motions, and working with weights to increase strength. These steps, including physical therapy exercises, can help that aspect of pain that is due to muscle atrophy.
Probably the most challenging pain-reducing tool, yet one of the most effective, is your own ability to avoid automatic thoughts, that is, imagining worse-case scenarios about the situation. People who anticipate the worst have much higher levels of pain than those who think more positively and realistically.
Pain-management experts recommend acknowledging pain as a challenge, followed by doing something positive and specific to manage it effectively. Keeping in touch with friends and family, making an effort to smile and laugh, doing something for others, or joining a support group can all help in dealing with the challenge and in feeling more connected to others. We know that a sure formula to exaggerate pain is to do nothing.
A person’s attitude toward pain can change from negative to more positive. Attitude can be changed if one is satisfied that the evaluation has been thorough and that there is no serious medical problem occurring. Additionally, a positive attitude is especially important in order to avoid secondary problems, such as depression. Pain may affect some people so severely that they need assistance from a professional therapist who can teach them the tools of pain-management and, in many cases, transform the experience of pain.
EMDR, being a complete, comprehensive, therapeutic approach, has offered relief to many people. There has been some research on EMDR and chronic pain, but more is needed. Good research studies have even reported the elimination of phantom limb pain following EMDR treatment of the etiological memory and the pain sensations (Vanderlaan, 2000; Wilensky, 2000; S. A. Wilson, Tinker, Becker, Hofmann, & Cole, 2000).
There is a difference between pain and suffering. EMDR can help to resolve the suffering, so that one’s relationship to the pain becomes altered and therefore experienced differently. For the assistance and encouragement of a professional, please follow the links at the top right section of this page.
For assisting the family system, or support system, please also see our Family Therapy specialists
Back to Psychotherapy Specialties for San Diego
San Diego Therapist, Chronic Pain, negative beliefs
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