Calgary, AB | Living With Chronic Pain - A Look in the Book

Living With Chronic Pain
A Look in the Book

Living With Chronic Pain: Tools, Resources and Realities
Dr. Colleen Braun

Part One: Chronic Pain 101:

What I know about chronic pain. What I want to learn.

The bio-psycho-social basis of chronic pain: What is it ~ and why won’t it go away?

What’s psychology got to do with this? Changing my perspective...

Setting my personal goals

Barriers to change: Understanding what gets me going ~ and what holds me back

Coping strategies: sleep, distraction, and active relaxation.

Goal setting and action plans.

Pain is inevitable...suffering is optional.

Part Two: Mind, Mood, and Managing my Pain

The mind/body relationship: how mood impacts pain; how pain impacts mood.

Evolutionary benefits of being negative: Survival of the bleakest.

Depression, anxiety, and pain demographics.

Physiology of mood. How medication helps; non-prescription options.

Creating a mood: editing our scripts to improve pain coping.

Mechanics of anger: who’s to blame? Recognizing our "hot buttons."

Pain, mood and memory

Where happiness lies...What research tells us; our personal best practices.

Self-esteem: Building Brand Me!

When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change...

Part Three: Pain and Problems

Pain in the family system.

Why we "need" problems.

The myth of life/work balance

Stress and illness; stress and pain.

Imperfect perfectionism: when our best is just too good.

Becoming a better worrier.

Solving problems; values-based decisions.

Energy management; making it all fit.

If a problem can be solved, there is nothing to worry about. If it can't be solved, worrying will do no good.

Part Four: Dealing with Ourselves and Other Difficult People

No one understands... Getting your message across using emotional intelligence, style shifting and the communications tool kit.

Selective perception ~ the world as we create it.

Pain as a spokesperson ~ the power of words.

Setting boundaries and priorities.

Resolving conflict, building relationships.

We don’t see the world as it is, we see the world as we are.

Part Five: Lessons Learned ~ Where Do We Go From Here?

Worklessness: how jobs keep us healthy.

The role of work in pain coping.

SWOT analysis ~ my honest appraisal.

Knowing our niche: doing what we do so well.

Returning to work: re-entry issues.

Planning for success: Getting off to a slow start.

Reviewing resources, maintaining our gains

Writing a relapse plan.

The process of change begins with an ending...followed by action, movement, commitment, and "freezing" the new behaviour.