Chronic Pain:

Chronic Pain is long term pain and results from injuries, surgery or disease and is usually associated with prescribed pain killers, depression and social isolation. These individuals frequently build tolerance to their prescription medications, resulting in the need for higher doses and ultimately insufficient pain relief. Pain management programs include a cognitive therapy approach to recognizing how external stimuli can exacerbate pain and how to refocus one’s thoughts about how pain is perceived and its role in day to day life. I have found that using an individualized schema helps patients to effectively use relaxation and their own meaningful mental images to control the intensity of their pain. Gaining control over one’s pain and environment is the primary strategy in coping with a condition to which there is no medical cure.