Living with Chronic Pain
January 22nd, 2008 | Email this to your Friendswritten by Janice Feuerhelm, LPC
Click here to contact Janice and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile
Chronic pain affects millions of people worldwide. Chronic pain is different than acute pain. Chronic pain is pain that continues long after the original cause. Chronic pain also has a psychological component that affects every area of one’s life. The challenge of living with chronic pain can create depression, difficulty with family/friend relationships, loss of job, financial losses and a loss of self-worth.
During my counseling experiences with individuals living with chronic pain, I have discovered that there are key healthy attitudes that help someone learn how to cope and live with chronic pain. I teach persons’ with chronic pain how to adopt these attitudes and have had the pleasure of witnessing many reclaim their life again, in spite of chronic pain.
The following are three attitudes that CAN make a difference when living with chronic pain:
Optimism – It truly does make a difference if you “see the glass half empty” or “half-full”. People that are optimists try to find the positive in all situations. I recently had someone tell me that after their injury, they were able to discover new hobbies because they could no longer do the same hobbies as prior to their injury. They discovered a hobby that eventually led to a new career. I know it is a challenge to seek the positive in every situation. However, I have seen relationships grow stronger because of pain. I have seen families rediscover what’s really important in their lives. I have seen people “slow down and smell the roses” because of their pain. Part of having an optimistic attitude is also believing that one can go on in spite of pain.
Determination - is another healthy attitude. Determination is an attitude that gives someone confidence to carry on. It is the attitude that says “I will not give up”; “I will not allow this pain to take over my life”. Determination allows one to persevere. It is about finding new ways of doing things and not giving up. Determination allows one to separate their core self-worth from their pain. Determination is about seeking and finding hope in any situation.
Commitment – is the attitude that says, “I am committed to my life and the lives of others”. I will not isolate myself because of my pain. I will allow others to help because it is their gift to me. Commitment is about dedicating one’s self to personal growth. It is using the experience of pain as a way to allow one’s self to grow spiritually, physically and emotionally. The commitment to others is about trusting in the relationship. It is a trust that creates a special bond in the relationship and determines the depth of the relationship. Living with pain is a great test of relationships.
©Copyright 2008 Janice Feuerhelm, LPC. All Rights Reserved. Permission to publish granted to GoodTherapy.org. The following article was solely written and edited by the author named above. The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org. Questions or concerns about the following article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment to this blog entry. Click here to contact Janice and/or see her GoodTherapy.org Profile
Email this to your Friends
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:47 am
The author is very insightful when she focuses on three healthy attitudes that can help someone deal with chronic pain. I am always amazed how some people can take all of their experiences with clients and find commonalities between them. It takes an ability to absorb details and mentally categorize millions of those details. So, my hat is off to the author for paying such close attention to her clients and spending the time necessary to create a helpful list.
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:49 am
Another helpful attitude may be a willingness to look outside oneself. So often, people with chronic pain can only see their situation and how it is affecting their lives. When those with chronic pain develop an ability to see that the world is still spinning, they become less focused on themselves and more focused on the world around them. If those with chronic pain allow themselves to stay in their own little world of pain and often chaos, the aforementioned depression will surely come into play. Therapists who can help clients with chronic pains open their eyes to the world around them, therapists have helped their clients cope more effectively with their condition.
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:51 am
In response to Heidi’s comment, what are some concrete things people with chronic pain can do to help them realize that there is a whole world out there just waiting to be discovered? It seems as if someone who is having a hard time looking outside of himself or herself would have a hard time finding a way out of that hole. Offering small steps of some sort would probably be helpful. Any ideas?
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:54 am
There are two types of activities that I can think of that would help someone see the outside world again. The first, and probably most helpful, would be getting involved in a helping organization. The client may need some assistance with finding an activity that would work with the pain rather than against it. But, helping others is often the key to looking outside your own condition. The second was mentioned in the blog. Finding a hobby is critical to looking outside one’s own condition. Generally, the client will meet new people and realize new strengths. By learning how to do something new that develops into a passion, patients with chronic pain often find new meaning to their lives. They may have to try more than one hobby, but once they find one they love, their lives will change dramatically.
January 24th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
In response to Heidi and Avery: You are both correct in saying that helping people look outside themselves is key to bringing back meaning into the lives of those with chronic pain. Some other concrete things they can do is to learn pacing techniques. I often teach patients I work with to learn to pace their activities, “maybe you can knit for 15-30 minutes w/o pain instead of 45 minutes w/pain.” They don’t have to necessarily do all their housework in one morning, they can learn to pace their activities/chores during the week. Also, exercise, even small amounts of exercise/walking can be very helpful. Learning relaxation techniques is probably one of the most beneficial activities one can do to lower their levels of tension/anxiety/stress/pain. I think it is key though to really build their ego strength so they believe they have the ability to manage their pain.
Thanks for the comments.