Chronic pain can have a significant impact on peoples’ lives. The pain is real and affects all aspects of life.
Frequently, there is a mind/body component of this kind of pain, ie: the pain intensifies with stress. If this is the case with pain that you experience, this message will hopefully offer some practical help.
One of the tips that Leah Davidson shares in this week’s podcast episode about chronic pain is to “wrap the symptoms in safety instead of danger.”
That may sound strange, but I think it’s very powerful. What tends to happen with this stress-intensified pain is that when people start to feel symptoms, they immediately tense up and begin to fear what this next bout of pain might entail — perhaps it will be really intense, maybe it will make them miss important events, what if it doesn’t go away in a reasonable amount of time?, etc…
These kinds of thoughts and fears are essentially “wrapping the symptoms in danger” and actually serve to amplify the pain (the fear-tension-pain cycle is real); they are understandable and valid, but they don’t help the situation.
If instead, people can practice pausing that automatic, habitual response to the pain, and separate the experience of pain from the meaning/fear they typically attach to it, then they can begin the process of “wrapping the symptoms in safety.” This can actually help decrease the intensity, length, and/or frequency of the pain. Asking, “What can I do to help in this moment?” and directing the mind to the now and being open and curious is one way to start that process.
Leah speaks of this from both professional and personal experience (with IBS & vertigo), and I’d highly recommend tuning in and listening to her explanations and other tips for understanding and managing this kind of pain.
Thanks for being here!
Bethany