Psychological treatment for pain problems
When you are in pain, you might have feelings of anger, sadness, hopelessness, and/or despair. Pain can alter your personality, disrupt your sleep, and interfere with your work and relationships. Psychological treatment provides safe, non-drug methods that can treat your pain directly by reducing high levels of physiological stress that often aggravate pain. Psychological treatment also helps improve the indirect consequences of pain by helping you learn how to cope with the many problems associated with pain.
Why is psychological treatment often recommended for a physical problem such as pain?
Psychological treatment often is recommended because pain is a good example of a mind-body connection. When the body feels pain, one’s thoughts and emotions are influenced by how much pain is felt. Depression and anxiety make pain worse, yet pain causes depression and anxiety. Stress makes pain worse, yet pain causes stress. Lack of sleep makes pain worse, yet it is very difficult to sleep when you have pain. Psychological treatment can help manage the effects of pain.
What are the psychological treatments for pain?
A large part of psychological treatment for pain is education, helping patients acquire skills to manage a very difficult problem. The most common psychological treatments are:
- Talk therapy
- Relaxation training
- Stress management
- Pain coping skills training
Talk therapy allows you to receive the support and counseling of a psychiatrist or psychologist. This type of psychological treatment, combined with a comprehensive pain treatment program, might be needed to help you manage your condition. Relaxation training teaches you how to enter a physiological state of deep relaxation that has been associated with healing and pain reduction. With stress management, you can learn how your thoughts affect your stress level and how to develop a healthier approach to difficult situations. With pain coping skills training, you can discover how to accommodate your life to the pain so that you can make plans, enjoy friends and family, and have fun again.
When should I seek psychological treatment for my pain problem?
Psychological treatment can be considered for any intense and recurrent pain problem that has not responded to initial medical and/or surgical treatment. Your health care team can help you decide which treatments may be right for you.
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This information is provided by the Cleveland Clinic and is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about a specific medical condition. This document was last reviewed on: 12/12/2004
