Chronic Pain

Perhaps the most universal form of stress encountered is pain. No medical symptom is more ubiquitous. It has long been known that the experience of pain is not always tied directly to the level of injury. As pain becomes more chronic other factors, independent of the initial injury, can influence the level of pain that is felt. These factors are unique to each individual and can include their personality, the impact of the pain on their lifestyle, social support system, etc.

The goal of psychological treatment is to reduce the negative impact of the pain on one’s life. This includes developing ways to return to a more satisfying and functional lifestyle, to reduce secondary depression that may have developed as well as to reduce secondary life stresses that may have occurred due to the pain and injury. The course of treatment is to teach self-management approaches to better control the pain as well as to develop ways to cope with the pain and the negative lifestyle implications of having chronic pain.

For more information, please check the links below:

The American Chronic Pain Association
www.theacpa.org