Chronic Pain Support Group
Physicians and professionalsdefine pain as chronic if it lasts longer than three to six months and is persistent. It's distinct from acute pain that is a direct result of injury or trauma. This support group is dedicated to those suffering from chronic pain. Discuss treatments that have worked for you, find advice for your specific experience, and find support. You're not...
Hi everyone. I'm Morwen and I've been suffering from chronic pain for 8 years now. I've tried so many things to deal with my pain that it's gotten frustrating to the point of wanting to give up trying to find help.
I recently got back into therapy and my new therapist recommended that I start what's called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or ACT. It's designed to help people restructure the way they think about things that they can't change. He said this is especially helpful for people who have chronic conditions and chronic pain.
I've only just started the therapy but I've already started to notice some differences, so I wanted to share it with everyone to try to help my fellow chronic pain sufferers. So I'll share some of the exercises that I've been given in therapy and some great resources that I've found as well.
I'll divide this into several posts so that it doesn't turn into one overwhelming one. I'll include some resources and explain the therapy exercises that I've done so far in the following posts.
I recently got back into therapy and my new therapist recommended that I start what's called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or ACT. It's designed to help people restructure the way they think about things that they can't change. He said this is especially helpful for people who have chronic conditions and chronic pain.
I've only just started the therapy but I've already started to notice some differences, so I wanted to share it with everyone to try to help my fellow chronic pain sufferers. So I'll share some of the exercises that I've been given in therapy and some great resources that I've found as well.
I'll divide this into several posts so that it doesn't turn into one overwhelming one. I'll include some resources and explain the therapy exercises that I've done so far in the following posts.
http://www.thehappinesstrap.com/free_resources
http://www.actmindfully.com.au/free_resources
http://contextualpsychology.org/about_act
http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/freedownloads2.htm
Specifically the following
http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/ActivityDiary.pdf
http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/SubstanceUseDiary.pdf
http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/PainDiary.pdf
http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/Metaphors.pdf
http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/ACTworksheet.pdf
http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/MyMentalHealthCV.pdf
http://www.getselfhelp.co.uk/docs/Defusing%20Exercises.pdf
http://www.psychologytools.org/download-therapy-worksheets.html
Specifically
http://www.psychologytools.org/assets/files/Worksheets/Pacing.pdf
http://jamesdrew.net/forms.html
http://integrativehealthpartners.org/downloads/FFMQ.pdf
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a powerful new psychotherapy based on cutting-edge research into how the human mind works. It has been clinically proven to be successful in a wide range of psychological problems. (The unusual name of this therapy comes from one of its key themes: Learn how to accept those things that are out of your control, and commit to changing those things that can be changed to make your life better.) This is a very active therapy. Its not one of those therapies where we just talk about your problems. Its a therapy in which you actively learn new skills to improve your quality of life.
We have two basic aims in this therapy:
One aim is to help you create a rich, full and meaningful life. To do that, well need to spend some time talking about what you really want out of life; whats important and meaningful to you, deep in your heart. We call this clarifying your values. Values are your hearts deepest desires for what you want to do and how you want to be during your short time on this planet. Then, using that information as a guide, well look at how you can set goals and take action to change your life for the better - and in the process, develop a sense of meaning, purpose and vitality.
Our other aim is to teach you a set of skills that will allow you to handle painful thoughts and feelings far more effectively, in such a way that they have much less impact and influence over you. We call these skills mindfulness skills. Mindfulness is a mental state of awareness, openness, and focus. In a state of mindfulness, painful thoughts and feelings have much less impact on us. In a state of mindfulness, we can effectively handle even the most difficult feelings, urges, memories, thoughts and sensations and as we learn to do so, we can break self-defeating habits or destructive patterns of behavior; let go of self-defeating beliefs; rise beyond our fears, and change our attitude in life-enhancing ways.
A key part of this therapy will involve you learning those mindfulness skills in the session, and then taking them home and practicing them in between sessions. The more you practice, the more benefits youll get and vice-versa. What this means is, that in some sessions we will actually need to bring up some of those painful thoughts, feelings, memories, sensations and urges during the session - so you can practice using these new skills to handle them better.
Because of this, at times this therapy may be very challenging. However at all times we will be working collaboratively, as equal team-players so you will never be pushed or coerced into anything you are unwilling to do.
Its always hard to know how many sessions this will take. A good rule of thumb is to commit to six sessions, and then on session six, well take stock, see how youre going, and see if you need any more. If you find that you dont need that many sessions, thats fine too. Also, we have to be realistic; no therapy works for everyone, so if this approach doesnt seem right for you, or youre not happy with the way its progressing, it is easy to refer you on to colleagues who have different approaches.
This exercise served two purposes. First, to put into perspective where I was actually at in my life. Second, to get me to start thinking about what things were important to me.
A Quick Look at Your Values
Values are your hearts deepest desires for how you want to behave as a human being. Values are not about what you want to get or achieve; they are about how you want to behave or act on an ongoing basis.
There are literally hundreds of different values, but below youll find a list of the most common ones. Probably, not all of them will be relevant to you. Keep in mind there are no such things as right values or wrong values. Its a bit like our taste in pizzas. If you prefer ham and pineapple but I prefer salami and olives, that doesnt mean that my taste in pizzas is right and yours is wrong. It just means we have different tastes. And similarly, we may have different values. So read through the list below and write a letter next to each value: V = Very important, Q = Quite important, and N = Not so important; and make sure to score at least ten of them as Very important.
1. Acceptance: to be open to and accepting of myself, others, life etc
2. Adventure: to be adventurous; to actively seek, create, or explore novel or stimulating experiences
3. Assertiveness: to respectfully stand up for my rights and request what I want
4. Authenticity: to be authentic, genuine, real; to be true to myself
5. Beauty: to appreciate, create, nurture or cultivate beauty in myself, others, the environment etc
6. Caring: to be caring towards myself, others, the environment etc
7. Challenge: to keep challenging myself to grow, learn, improve
8. Compassion: to act with kindness towards those who are suffering
9. Connection: to engage fully in whatever I am doing, and be fully present with others
10. Contribution: to contribute, help, assist, or make a positive difference to myself or others
11. Conformity: to be respectful and obedient of rules and obligations
12. Cooperation: to be cooperative and collaborative with others
13. Courage: to be courageous or brave; to persist in the face of fear, threat, or difficulty
14. Creativity: to be creative or innovative
15. Curiosity: to be curious, open-minded and interested; to explore and discover
16. Encouragement: to encourage and reward behavior that I value in myself or others
17. Equality: to treat others as equal to myself, and vice-versa
18. Excitement: to seek, create and engage in activities that are exciting, stimulating or thrilling
19. Fairness: to be fair to myself or others
20. Fitness: to maintain or improve my fitness; to look after my physical and mental health and wellbeing
21. Flexibility: to adjust and adapt readily to changing circumstances
22. Freedom: to live freely; to choose how I live and behave, or help others do likewise
23. Friendliness: to be friendly, companionable, or agreeable towards others
24. Forgiveness: to be forgiving towards myself or others
25. Fun: to be fun-loving; to seek, create, and engage in fun-filled activities
26. Generosity: to be generous, sharing and giving, to myself or others
27. Gratitude: to be grateful for and appreciative of the positive aspects of myself, others and life
28. Honesty: to be honest, truthful, and sincere with myself and others
29. Humor: to see and appreciate the humorous side of life
30. Humility: to be humble or modest; to let my achievements speak for themselves
31. Industry: to be industrious, hard-working, dedicated
32. Independence: to be self-supportive, and choose my own way of doing things
33. Intimacy: to open up, reveal, and share myself -- emotionally or physically in my close personal relationships
34. Justice: to uphold justice and fairness
35. Kindness: to be kind, compassionate, considerate, nurturing or caring towards myself or others
36. Love: to act lovingly or affectionately towards myself or others
37. Mindfulness: to be conscious of, open to, and curious about my here-and-now experience
38. Order: to be orderly and organized
39. Open-mindedness: to think things through, see things from others points of view, and weigh evidence fairly.
40. Patience: to wait calmly for what I want
41. Persistence: to continue resolutely, despite problems or difficulties.
42. Pleasure: to create and give pleasure to myself or others
43. Power: to strongly influence or wield authority over others, e.g. taking charge, leading, organizing
44. Reciprocity: to build relationships in which there is a fair balance of giving and taking
45. Respect: to be respectful towards myself or others; to be polite, considerate and show positive regard
46. Responsibility: to be responsible and accountable for my actions
47. Romance: to be romantic; to display and express love or strong affection
48. Safety: to secure, protect, or ensure safety of myself or others
49. Self-awareness: to be aware of my own thoughts, feelings and actions
50. Self-care: to look after my health and wellbeing, and get my needs met
51. Self-development: to keep growing, advancing or improving in knowledge, skills, character, or life experience.
52. Self-control: to act in accordance with my own ideals
53. Sensuality: to create, explore and enjoy experiences that stimulate the five senses
54. Sexuality: to explore or express my sexuality
55. Spirituality: to connect with things bigger than myself
56. Skillfulness: to continually practice and improve my skills, and apply myself fully when using them
57. Supportiveness: to be supportive, helpful, encouraging, and available to myself or others
58. Trust: to be trustworthy; to be loyal, faithful, sincere, and reliable
59. Insert your own unlisted value here:
60. Insert your own unlisted value here:
***
Once youve marked each value as V, Q, N (Very, Quite, or Not so important), go through all the Vs, and select out the top six that are most important to you. Mark each one with a 6, to show its in your top six. Finally, write those six values out below, to remind yourself this is what you want to stand for as a human being.
From here I was also supposed to break down my top three values in each of the following aspects of life; Love, Work, Play and Health. And for each aspect create 3 short term, 3 medium term, and 3 long term goals.
I found a link to the last exercise.
For example, if I make a cup of tea I'm supposed to record how the tea looked, how it smelled, what sounds did I hear making the tea, how does it feel in my hands, on my tongue, what does it taste like?
Thanks for the resources and I wish you much success.....
I'm really happy to see such a positive response from everyone on this thread.
http://www.dailystrength.org/people/1494063/journal/3795722 A link to the second
Homework exercises between now and then are this:
1. Reflect on past homework assignments and how I have felt about them and what they have done for me and if they have changed anything for me.
2. Make a list of stressors in my life.
3. Write a small reflection on what life would be like for me if the only problem in my life was that I must always have one more surgery. In this world I'm writing about I have everything I want (money, friends, support, etc) but my health problems will require that I must always have one more surgery.
And of course for those of you interested I have been posting all of my exercises in my journal on here.
This is the journal entry where I wrote down my reflections on ACT so far.
And as always my other assignments are posted in my journal as well.
I'll be posting again later today when I have my next therapy session!