People often think of pain as a purely physical sensation. However, pain has biological, psychological, and emotional factors. Furthermore, chronic pain can cause feelings such as anger, hopelessness, sadness, and anxiety. To treat pain effectively, you must address the physical, emotional, and psychological aspects.
Medical treatments, including medication, surgery, rehabilitation, and physical therapy, may be helpful for treating chronic pain, but psychological treatments are also an important part of pain management. Understanding and managing the thoughts, emotions, and behaviours that accompany discomfort can help you cope more effectively with your pain and can actually reduce its intensity.
Our registered psychologists are experts in helping people cope with the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that accompany chronic pain. In serious cases, we may collaborate with other healthcare professionals to address both the physical and emotional aspects of the patient’s pain. We conduct both individual and group therapy sessions.
Studies have found that psychotherapy can be fundamental to a patient’s pain relief, as psychological treatments for pain can alter how the brain processes pain sensations.
Our psychologists can also help you make lifestyle changes that allow you to continue participating in work and recreational activities. Because pain often contributes to insomnia, we may also help you learn new ways to improve your sleeping patterns.
Sufferers of chronic pain may also develop other negative stressors, such as losing a job, experiencing financial hardship, and having increased stress on relationships and families. They may also have to contend with unpleasant side effects. Additionally, sufferers of chronic pain often find their participation in activities they once enjoyed, such as hobbies, crafts, or sports, has been greatly reduced. These negative factors further contribute to both psychological and physical suffering.
At HD Psychologists, we can assist sufferers in developing pain management skills, reducing muscle tension through relaxation techniques, and alleviating depressive mood and thought patterns using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
The goal is to help you develop skills to cope with your pain and live your life normally. Pain is largely influenced by psychological factors, not only physical elements. It is possible to feel pain even when there is no actual damage inflicted. Sufferers of chronic pain are assisted in developing ways to cope with the psychological factors involved in pain and its management.
This Buddhist monk who set himself on fire in protest demonstrated the effect of pain management: while pain is physical, it can be controlled psychologically.