Navigating Chronic Pain: A Comprehensive Approach

Individuals who live with chronic pain often have difficulty coping with this complex diagnosis. Sadly, there are often many roadblocks to navigate to obtain needed care. In Canada one in five Canadians live with chronic pain.

To be diagnosed with having chronic pain, an individual would have to be experiencing ongoing disruptive pain that lasts beyond six months and is beyond the recovery norms for their medical diagnosis”.  There are many reasons an individual develops chronic pain.  The difficulty of living with a ​diagnosis of chronic pain is that there is often no “guideline for treatment” thus an individual must navigate the medical system with little or no assistance. This fact often will escalate emotional states such as; anxiety, depression and low self-worth.

The Power of Counselling in Pain Management

While medical treatments address the physical aspect, psychological approaches play a crucial role in the helping individuals manage the complex challenges that are a result of this diagnosis. There are many psychological approach's that may aid an individual to cope with their challenges. Counselling processes are not a “one size fits all therapy format”, meaning that the person seeking care must decide if the therapist is a “fit for there” regardless of their theoretical approach. Below are examples of severe counselling theoretical approach’s.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Alters pain-related thoughts and behaviours, reducing the emotional burden of pain.

• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): Enhances pain acceptance and reduces stress-related aggravation.

• Emotional Support and Coping Strategies: Counselling provides a safe space to express feelings and learn effective coping mechanisms.

• Biofeedback: Teaches control over pain-aggravating muscle tension and stress responses.