How to Manage Chronic Pain for Improved Mental Health

"In the medical world, pain—the body’s way of telling us that something may be wrong—is classified as either acute or chronic. While acute pain tends to be severe but temporary, chronic pain can vary in intensity and persists for long periods of time. Sometimes, chronic pain is a symptom of long-term disease, but in some cases, it’s difficult to identify a specific cause.1

Chronic pain can be treated with prescription and over-the-counter medications, but the latest issue of Psychological Science in the Public Interest (PSPI) looks at how psychological interventions can be part of the treatment plan.2

Psychological Therapies for Pain Management

Western medicine has long been in the habit of treating the mind and the body as separate entities, says therapist Susan Epstein, LCSW, who runs chronic pain workshops for her clients.

"Medical doctors often look for mechanical/physical explanations of and fixes for pain, when the real answers lie in misfiring messages from the brain due to psychological, emotional, environmental, and even nutritional factors," Epstein explains. "There is more and more recognition that the mind-body is a complex interconnected organism and that holistic approaches may offer relief where surgeries or pharmaceuticals have failed."

“CBT is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on a person’s thoughts (cognition) and behaviors (actions) that are the source of their problem,” explains psychologist Sheila Forman, PhD. In this case, the CBT therapist would help this person identify patterns of negativity embedded in these thoughts with the goal of changing them in a way that would lead to a healthier way to think about and respond to pain.

Biofeedback involves using sensors to monitor patients’ physiological responses to stress and pain, such as increased heart rate and muscle tension, then teaching them how to gain control over these responses.4 “This form of therapy is useful because stress exacerbates pain, so learning to manage stress can help manage pain,” says Forman.

Other psychological therapies for chronic pain include supportive psychotherapy, breathing exercises, hypnosis by a trained clinician, and mindfulness meditation.

What This Means For You

Exercise, physical therapy, and different medications can all help with chronic pain. If you'd like to try psychological-based strategies, ask your physician to recommend a psychologist or therapist who specializes in this field.

Online chronic pain support groups, like The Mighty and MyChronicPainTeam, are great ways to connect with others who live with chronic pain and understand the various challenges that come with it."

*Chronic pain is no joke and no one should have to go through it alone. We may not always understand where our chronic pain stems from, so it's important to try and treat the chronic pain through both the mind and body because they are more intertwined than we ever thought. If we can learn how to better handle stress and any triggers that may lead to a flare-up of our pain, we could really reduce the pain we feel. Reaching out to a mental health professional can help us work through any possible triggers and this could holistically help us manage our chronic pain. If you struggle with chronic pain, do you find that treating it both mentally and physically has helped you?*

#ChronicPain #HolisticHealth #PainManagement

Please find the full article at Very Well Mind.

If you liked this article, you may like this one on living well with chronic pain.