Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is physical pain that lasts longer than 3-6 months and can often last much longer. Chronic pain is associated with a number of different diagnoses, but the causes of chronic pain are not still not well-understood. People living with chronic pain may face a number of barriers that may make day-to-day functioning very challenging.
The Chronic Pain Cycle
People experiencing chronic pain often feel like they are caught in a vicious cycle. Having a chronic pain condition usually makes it very painful to move, and as a result, people with chronic pain end up reducing their physical activity. They may also develop increased fears of movement or physical activity out of concern for pain or possible injury.
Unfortunately, reducing their physical activity also means that they start to lose strength in the muscles that sustain movement. Chronic pain often contributes to worsened mood.
What often follows is that people with chronic pain may avoid things they used to enjoy doing, including spending time with family and friends; the pain may prevent them from doing these activities, the pain may reduce their interest or enthusiasm for doing these activities, or they may want to avoid discussing their pain (possibly out of concern that their pain will be misunderstood).
Breaking
The Cycle
I work with clients to help them break the chronic pain cycle using a treatment called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for chronic pain (CBT-CP). Although CBT-CP will not “cure” someone’s chronic pain, it will help them with:
improving their physical and emotional functioning;
reducing the frequency and intensity of pain flare-ups;
learning skills and tools that will make the pain feel more manageable; and
re-engaging with activities that provide enjoyment and meaning.
Many people who complete CBT-CP also experience reductions in the intensity of their chronic pain. Overall, CBT-CP helps people living with chronic pain to reduce the impact of pain on their day-to-day lives.