Shikha SaxenaNov 16·4 min read

Its all in Mind

Pain is a psychological signal generated in mind against some emotional stress or physical injury. Each individual’s perception of pain is different, depending upon their patience and pain bearing ability. There are numerous psychological treatment available to combat perception of [pain].

Pain is a fundamental mechanism for survival. Pain indicates that there is something wrong in one of the body parts and something should be done about it.

What is Pain?

Pain is the signal generated in nervous system against some kind of stimuli as prick with sharp pin or edge of blade, sting, tingle, burn or ache. Pain may be sharp and dull as described by sufferer. It may come it may go away when not thought about it.

So perception of pain is different as explained by the person suffering from pain. Physicians therefore set a range from 1–10 to understand the urgency for treatment and decide the medication.

0 means no pain

1-3 means mild pain

4–7 means moderate pain

8–10 means severe pain.

Pain is considered as a sensory emotional experience but requires different clinical and psychological approach for treatment.

Types of Pain

There are following different type of pain as classified by their measure and urgency for treatment:

1. Acute Pain: sudden sharp pain that lasts less than 6 months. It is mild and temporary.
2. Chronic Pain: persistent pain that lasts for weeks to years.
3. Neuropathic Pain: Pain caused by nerve irritation
4. Nociceptive Pain : Pain due to tissue injury
5. Radicular Pain: Radicular pain or radiculitis is the pain that radiates from back and hip to legs through spine. Can also occur if some spinal nerve is compressed.
6. Inflammatory Pain: Pain generated by abnormal inflammation due to immune response by body’s immune system.
7. Functional Pain: Pain with no known origin

Treatment of Pain

1. Medications (Pain Killers)
2. Acupuncture
3. Electrical Stimulation
4. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
5. Surgery
6. Rehabilitation
7. Physical Therapy.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or psychological treatment for pain

Chronic pain sometimes lead to anger, sadness and anxiety in life. To treat such type of pain besides regular medication certain psychological aspect are also considered.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) are psycho-social interventions that aim to improve mental health and perception and intensity of pain felt by person.

CBT include behavior alterations, change in lifestyle and develop personal situation coping strategies to solve pain problems. Change in behaviors and improved emotional regulations are observed during solving current pain problems.

Understanding and managing thoughts, emotions and behaviors associated with pain helps in coping effectively with pain and reduce the intensity and hence the perception of pain by mind.

Methods for pain Treatment

Addressing physical, especially emotional and psychological discomfort also help in reducing perception of pain and alleviate it.

Following few methods are used :

1. Reducing stress from life
2. Lifting mood by social group activities and gain happiness
3. Learning technique of deep breathing to relax
4. Sending good vibes, meditation, prayers and chanting hymns
5. Reducing chronic pain from exercising and release of endorphins
6. Joining online and in- person support groups and communicating with fellow patients alleviate certain pain problems.
7. Cutting down smoking and alcohol increase mental balance and help in normal sleep and rejuvenation through relaxation.

Intervention of Psychologists or CBT Technicians

Intervention of Psychologists as part of healthcare team or in private setting helps to improve behaviors, thoughts and feelings associated with chronic pains.

Psychologists are experts in probing to the last crease of the problem and providing solutions. They are capable of listening patiently and thoroughly your pain descriptions and worries and help you cope with the situation in stepwise manner.

Following five steps are found to be most common in solving psychological pain issues:

Step 1 Making list of problems

Step 2 Recording unproductive thoughts that you may have

Step 3 Helping you create new productive thoughts

Step 4 Going through your lists often together

Step 5 Notice Behavior changes and reiterate the list for further improvement.

CBT Technicians and Therapists help you in new ways of thinking about pain, develop new thinking how to combat pain and often distract you from the problem altogether.

Psychological Treatments are so effective in dealing with patients that sometimes they even replace surgical methods, by just changing lifestyle and creating a new person altogether with changed perspective about pain.

Psychological treatment can alter the the thinking of brain to process pain sensations and provide solutions to combat perception of pain.