Therapy for
Chronic Pain
If you’re living with chronic pain, then you already know that pain can wreak havoc on your life. You know the daily struggles, the ups and downs, the uncertainty that comes with never knowing if it’s going to be a “good day” or a day where you can’t even get out of bed. The pain can get in the way of activities you once enjoyed, your work, your relationships, your dreams for the future…EVERYTHING! Before you know it you may not even feel like “you” anymore. Once pain starts running your life, it can feel like you’re no longer the one in control and you end up caught in a never-ending cycle of feeling bad physically and emotionally. That’s why worry, anxiety, anger, and depression are so common for people with chronic pain. Pain-focused therapy or “chronic pain therapy” can be one part of the puzzle to helping you feel in control again.
You may be thinking “how in the world is talking about my pain going to help with my pain?”. Chronic pain therapy or pain-focused therapy is not just talking about the pain or complaining. The therapy process is about honoring the ways in which your life has been impacted by the pain, and then using scientifically driven evidence-based strategies to help you get back to living the best life possible. In our work together, you will gain tools to help you:
Learn strategies to help manage the physical pain
Do more with less pain
Get back to the activities that give your life meaning
Improve your mood
Learn to communicate about pain so you get your needs met and improve your relationships
I offer a FREE 15 minute consultation call to see if Chronic Pain Therapy may be right for you. Click on the button below to schedule a call.
Evidence-Based Approaches to Chronic Pain
There are two different primary types of therapy that are used to help you meet these goals: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). The specific type of therapy that is right for will depend on your personal experiences and goals for therapy, and we can figure that out together.
Cognitive -Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP) is the gold-standard therapeutic approach for people with chronic pain. CBT-CP has been used by professionals for over 35 years and scientific studies have shown that it works. CBT-CP is a combination of skills that fall into two parts: 1) learning new strategies or ways of doing things in order to do more with less pain, and 2) learning to recognize the way that your thoughts about your pain can impact your mood and your pain intensity (and how to change them).
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for chronic pain is a newer approach to coping with chronic pain, but it still has a strong track record and evidence-base. ACT can be an especially good option for people who have completed CBT-CP but still feel they need a bit more support to reach their goals, or it can be appropriate for people who are already familiar with some of the techniques in CBT-CP or tried other forms of therapy in the past.
ACT is heavily focused on getting in touch with your personal values and figuring out how to re-engage in these parts of your life. Because pain can interfere with so many areas of your life, it’s easy to lose sight of who you are and what’s important to you. ACT is perfect for addressing these types of experiences.