Pain And Psychological Counseling

How can psychological therapy be part of a pain treatment plan?

Psychological therapy is probably one of the most important facets of a very good pain management program. And the reason for that is there is a mind-body connection. John Sarno is a very famous doctor in New York who became famous with a book called “The Mind-Body Connection.” He discovered that with people who had low back pain, a certain sub-set of them had actually what he called repressed anger. After many years of treating them physically he learned he could talk to them and reduce their back pain psychologically as well.

What is "relaxation training"?

There are many forms of relaxation training. The whole purpose of that is to reduce stress in the body and allow us to relax so that we don't have as much pain. One of the forms of relaxation therapy is very simple. We can sit or lie down, and we can actually contract a certain muscle group, hold it for a few seconds, and then relax suddenly. We're going to feel a surge of endorphins when we do that. There are processes starting at the bottom of the feet all the way to the top of the head to do that.

What is "stress management treatment"?

Stress management treatment is the treatment of reducing stress in the body and the mind; very simple. It helps reduce pain. When a person has stress in their body; when a person is experiencing stress, mentally or psychologically, they will typically feel it in their body. Our job is to help reduce the pain of the body, so we often will go to the causes of stress. The causes of stress can be psychological, so the treatment can be psychological. You can use cognitive behavioural changes. You can use biofeedback. You can teach meditation. You can use exercising to reduce stress; it goes on and on and on. There's no end to the ways that are used by people to reduce the stress in their body.