Redefining Pain - an essential tool for life long change with chronic pain
It's an undeniable fact of human experience that all of us have either been in physical pain in the past, are in pain now, and/or will experience pain at some point in the future. Pain education is relevant for everyone.
There are three main components to my coaching approach for someone with chronic pain:
Exposure Therapy (gradually exposing someone to triggering movements in a safe and supportive environment)
Functional Resilience (strength and mobility, not only sufficient for daily function but to create a foundation to fall back back on when injured or sick)
Redefining pain and pain experiences (creating new meaning around pain)
The last component is the most challenging: redefining pain and pain experiences. Our perspectives (on any topic) are belief systems that shape our worldview or, even more complex, are shaped by a worldview we already have. It’s the reason some people are religious while others are not, or why someone is an ethically based vegetarian and someone else eats meat. The perspectives we have about our bodies and our pain are no different. They’re dependent on each individual’s life experiences and vary from person to person.
Any time we try to create new meaning around something, we’re effectively changing our perspective on something about which we had a pre-existing perspective. This is really really hard!! (There’s a reason we’re in the political mire we’re in.) But, it’s a non-negotiable part of the process to changing chronic pain. Time and time again, research has shown that our belief systems about our bodies and pain have a large impact on our pain experiences, surgical outcomes, mental health diagnoses, immune system function, and as a result, our quality of life.
The open-mindedness required just to begin this process of change takes an incredible amount of courage, especially when trapped in the negative feedback loop of the chronic pain cycle. But once there’s an opening, and we sprinkle in a little extra curiosity, we can make changes to our beliefs and our worldviews, and our lives can change. (This is the crux of the concept of a Growth vs. a Fixed mindset).
Zachary Koval and I are hosting a free 4-week pain conversation in the form of a book club reading Pain is Really Strange. Before you say to yourself you don’t have time, know that it’s an illustrated 32 page book 😉. In this book you’ll find the foundation of pain physiologically presented in an engaging way. More importantly, you’ll most likely find confrontations to existing perspectives and beliefs you hold about your body and your pain. And I truly hope you do . . .
You don't have to be currently experiencing chronic pain for these conversations to have an impact on your quality of life. Please join us, we’re so excited to share this book with you and this time to converse over the next 4 weeks.
Understanding Your Pain Book Club Info:
Wednesdays Oct. 8, 15, 22, 29 at 7pm EST, approximately one hour.
Please purchase your own copy of the book Pain is Really Strange (it's available on Amazon as well). Otherwise this conversation series is free.
No, you do not have to attend all 4 meetings, although you’ll get the most out of it if you do.
Meetings will not be recorded due to the sensitive nature of this topic.
You’ll receive an email before each meeting with 8 reading pages, extra materials to further explore certain themes, and questions/prompts to get our conversation flowing.
Please share this opportunity with anyone you feel may benefit!