The human brain possesses incredible potential to influence our experience of pain. Though often overlooked, techniques leveraging the mind-body connection can significantly minimize pain’s burden. From altering thought patterns to controlling physiology, mental skills provide patients with tools to take an active role in managing discomfort. Integrating mind-body modalities into treatment plans equips patients to thrive despite persistent pain.
Understanding Pain Processing
To harness mental approaches, it helps first to understand how pain works. Acute pain signals real or potential injury, activating the body’s protective responses. However, chronic pain persists long after tissues have healed, often with no ongoing cause identifiable. Imaging reveals the brain itself driving chronic pain, not damage in the back, nerves, or joints.
The brain controls our pain experience based on the interplay between sensory pathways, thoughts, emotions, memories, and stress response. This malleability means we can dial pain up or down by changing how the brain interprets and reacts to discomfort. Mental techniques aim to regain control over these largely unconscious processes.
Shifting Thought Patterns
One’s mindset and thought habits significantly impact pain perception and suffering. Ruminating catastrophically about pain often amplifies distress. But cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) teaches responding differently.
CBT identifies unhelpful thoughts like “this pain will never stop, I can’t go on”, challenges their validity, and replaces them with more constructive perspectives. This might involve acknowledging pain without exaggerating its implications, focusing on achievable daily goals, and celebrating successes. Counselors can provide CBT, but patients can also learn basic techniques through workbooks, apps, and online programs. Research confirms CBT meaningfully reduces chronic pain.
Managing Stress Reactivity
How the body responds to stress also powerfully controls pain. Perceiving pain as threatening activates the sympathetic “fight or flight” nervous system. This amplifies anxiety while also increasing muscle tension, heart rate, blood pressure and inflammation – all of which heighten pain sensitivity.
Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, massage, and mindfulness meditation deactivate this unhelpful stress response. Yoga incorporates many integrated mind-body techniques. Patients can learn to voluntarily calm their body’s stress reactions to pain as needed through regular practice of these modalities.
Controlling Physiology with Biofeedback
Biofeedback therapy uses electronic sensors to monitor involuntary bodily processes affected by the nervous system, like heart rate, breathing, skin temperature and muscle tension. Patients can then observe these signals on a monitor and, with coaching, learn to voluntarily control them.
Research shows biofeedback enables patients to regulate pain-influencing factors like inflammation and muscle tension, significantly reducing headaches, arthritis pain, and more. Mind and body integrate powerfully.
Harnessing the Power of Hypnosis
Hypnosis guides patients into an open, focused mental state where they can readily accept suggestions to influence perceptions and physiology. Studies confirm hypnosis’ benefits for acute and chronic pain after surgery, cancer, childbirth, broken bones and more.
Under trance, the mind can reframe pain as less threatening. Patients can also picture pain “dialing down” while imagining pleasant experiences activating the body’s natural pain- and stress-reducing chemicals. Hypnosis recordings allow practicing these techniques independently.
Exploring Medical Cannabis
For patients still suffering from pain resistant to other approaches, the controversial yet increasingly accepted option of medical cannabis may provide relief. Marijuana remains federally illegal, but medical use is now legal in most states. The experts at Utah-based health clinic KindlyMD say that those interested can speak with certified providers about how to get your medical marijuana card in Utah or another state.
Conclusion
While eliminating chronic pain completely may not be possible, evidence confirms incorporating brain-based techniques minimizes unnecessary suffering and improves quality of life. The mind can powerfully nurture the body when harnessed purposefully.