Chronic Pain

ABOUT CHRONIC PAIN

One in five people globally experience chronic, persistent pain. Pain and fatigue can often be medically unexplained and not respond well to medication or other medical interventions. This makes sense when we understand that pain is more than just physical sensation, it is influenced by our physiological states, thoughts, emotions and social contexts. Persistent pain and fatigue can affect our quality of life, leaving us feeling disempowered and less able. Although two people may have the same medical diagnosis, their experience of living with pain and fatigue can be very different, so a broad, whole-person treatment approach is important.

The aim of pain psychology is to “retrain the brain” by offering an understanding of pain, including how our nervous systems can came to be overprotective and hence, produce too much pain. Pain psychology often involves looking at how our thoughts and emotions are influencing our pain and fatigue.

HOW WE HELP

One psychological approach that is often used to do this is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). CBT can help people achieve their goals for life, despite their pain, by ensuring an accurate understanding of pain and the nervous system, challenging unhelpful beliefs about pain and movement, improving sleep and developing self-management techniques such as relaxation and pacing (of activities). 

Persistent pain and fatigue can often be associated with early adverse life experiences or traumatic experiences in adult life including motor vehicle accidents, assaults and medical traumas, so trauma processing can be an important part of pain and fatigue management or recovery. There are other evidence-based approaches to persistent pain, such as Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) for trauma and/or pain.

Some of Clinician’s have extensive training and special interest in the treatment of persistent pain and fatigue.

Next steps? 

Let’s make a start. During your first sessions we’ll work through your challenges and needs.

This is not an exercise of putting you in a box and sticking a label on it but rather helping you feel safe and opening up opportunities for healing and growth.

Please enter your details and a brief summary of your enquiry.

Please enter your details and a brief summary of your enquiry. We endeavour to reply to all enquiries within 48 hours.

Once we have received your enquiry, we will be in contact to arrange a time to have brief telephone conversation in order to clarify any questions and assess if we are the right service for your needs.