Do you have Chronic Pain?
Of course, the first step in coping with chronic pain or other types of persistent pain is to receive a thorough medical evaluation to determine the cause of pain.
In some situations, such as a herniated disc of the spine, it may be important to pay attention to the severity and type of pain as this is
the body's way of signalling to the brain there is potential damage or disease.
In other cases, especially when the pain is chronic and the health condition unchangeable, one goal can be to try and keep the chronic
pain from being the entire focus of your life.
What ever the medical condition, there are a number of effective strategies for coping with chronic pain.
These techniques generally include:
Relaxation Training: Relaxation involves concentration and slow, deep breathing to release tension from muscles and relieve pain. Learning to relax takes practice, but relaxation can focus attention away from pain and release tension for all muscles.
Visual Imagery and Distraction: Imagery involves concentrating on mental pictures of pleasant scenes or events mentally repeating positive words or phrases to reduce pain. Distraction techniques focus your attention away from negative or painful images to positive mental thoughts.
Hypnosis: Hypnosis can be used in two ways to reduce your perception of pain. Self-hypnosis is a form of relaxation training.
In some situations, such as a herniated disc of the spine, it may be important to pay attention to the severity and type of pain as this is
the body's way of signalling to the brain there is potential damage or disease.
In other cases, especially when the pain is chronic and the health condition unchangeable, one goal can be to try and keep the chronic
pain from being the entire focus of your life.
What ever the medical condition, there are a number of effective strategies for coping with chronic pain.
These techniques generally include:
Relaxation Training: Relaxation involves concentration and slow, deep breathing to release tension from muscles and relieve pain. Learning to relax takes practice, but relaxation can focus attention away from pain and release tension for all muscles.
Visual Imagery and Distraction: Imagery involves concentrating on mental pictures of pleasant scenes or events mentally repeating positive words or phrases to reduce pain. Distraction techniques focus your attention away from negative or painful images to positive mental thoughts.
Hypnosis: Hypnosis can be used in two ways to reduce your perception of pain. Self-hypnosis is a form of relaxation training.
More About Chronic Pain:
If you have a chronic pain injury contact Samantha at AQUA Psychology today on 1300 811 499