Chronic Pain Relief is available through Pain Reprocessing Therapy

X-ray image of feet. Chronic pain treatment available in Grand Rapids, MI or online in 43 PsyPact states with Irene Kraegel, PsyD at Dwell Psychological Services.

I have experienced mild, chronic pain in my feet for years. I have avoided walking barefoot or wearing any shoes that are not super-supportive, given the swift and intense pain that hit without them.

That all changed recently when my friend, Michelle, passed along a piece of advice from her physical therapist: avoid Dansko clogs (my go-to “safe” shoes!), because they create pain in your feet by preventing your muscles from the movement they need to be strengthened while walking.

I didn’t give the conversations much thought, but within a couple weeks, my feet started hurting in my clogs. The sensations of walking in my flat, non-supportive, Reebok sneakers became unexpectedly enjoyable. When I took my shoes off to walk, I could feel my muscles moving and being strengthened. I had entered an upside-down world, craving the sensations of walking barefoot and slipping off my shoes whenever possible in order to avoid the discomfort of too much arch support.

What happened there?

Chronic Pain is Exhausting

Chronic pain is defined as any type of pain that lasts for more than three months, and it is the most common reason for US adults to seek medical treatment. In fact, approximately one out of every four Americans reports having chronic pain, and most much more severe than the mild foot pain I just described.

If you are one of those adults, you know the impact - pain makes it hard to work, sleep, regulate mood, exercise, socialize, or sometimes just think. Pain becomes all-consuming, interfering with the activities and relationships that we hold near and dear. Pain is suffering.

Fortunately, our understanding of the brain-body connection supporting chronic pain is increasing, with new research highlighting the power of therapy in treating chronic pain conditions. Because of the impact of pain on functioning and happiness, this is good news. Help is available!

Understanding Chronic Pain

Pain is an alarm system in the brain, alerting us to danger. It lets us know our hand is being burned on a hot stove, our foot is being punctured as we step on a nail, or our broken arm needs medical attention. It helps keep us safe.

All pain is in the brain. It hurts and it is 100% real. At the same time, pain is always an interpretation of sensations in the body, serving as our brain’s judgment call about whether a particular sensation is likely to lead to damage. Sometimes this interpretation is helpful, accurately alerting us to danger. Sometimes, it is not.

In the case of chronic pain, our brains have often learned to interpret sensations as dangerous that are not actually causing any damage in our bodies. Our brain is making its best guess. The more we analyze our sensations, problem-solve them, and predict future pain or danger, the more our brains become more fearful, sounding the alarm even louder to signal more danger.

This keeps us stuck in a painful loop that can be difficult to escape. It’s no wonder that sufferers of chronic pain struggle more often with insomnia, anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts.

Mindfulness as an Evidence-Based Approach for Pain Relief

A key principle of treatment for chronic pain has long been mindfulness, which is a method of training our attention so we can become more intentional about our mental focus and change our relationship with discomfort (physical and emotional) in order to reduce suffering. Mindfulness helps painful sensations become less painful and less intense.

For Christians, mindfulness can be integrated with faith practices such as Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, Breath Prayer - or even with sitting in church or prayer journaling. I’ve written about this integration of mindfulness and Christian faith at TheMindfulChristian.com and in the book, The Mindful Christian. While mindfulness can be blended with any or no religious faith, it is always an option to blend it with Christian faith disciplines.

Pain Reprocessing Therapy

Recent research shows that the blend of mindfulness practices with other Pain Reprocessing Therapy techniques, such as Somatic Tracking, Safety Reappraisal, and Exposure, has a powerful impact on our brain’s ability to more accurately interpret sensations from our body. This helps to reduce and often eliminate chronic pain symptoms, supporting clients in living with less suffering, more engagement, and more joy.

Whether or not there is structural damage to the body, a person living with chronic pain can experience significant relief through the application of mindfulness within the context of Pain Reprocessing Therapy.

How to Find Pain Relief

If you have chronic pain, you have likely spent lots of time and money on doctors, imaging, and procedures (maybe even surgeries), only to come up short on any real solutions. You may be feeling hopeless, desperate to end the suffering. Mindfulness and Pain Reprocessing Therapy can help!

As you consider making an appointment with a chronic pain therapist, here are some practical mindfulness techniques for pain relief as you prepare to meet with a professional who can add their expertise.

Fear fuels our pain. Start a list of things you are afraid of in regards to your pain, such as “I’ll never be able to live the life I wanted.” Then add a list of other fears that plague you, such as “the world is getting worse.”
Avoidance fuels our pain. Get curious about the ways you avoid moving your body, engaging with people, or doing the things that matter to you.
Tension fuels our pain. Become aware of intensity and tension, both in your mind and your body. Notice any ways that your grip on life is tight, controlling, and panicked rather than loose, trusting, and free.
Hyperfocus fuels our pain. Notice the sensations involved in your pain experience using neutral words, such as “there is a buzzy feeling that comes and goes in the lower center of my back.” Then expand your awareness to other, positive sensations in your body, such as “there is warmth on my skin where the sun hits my face.” (But wait until your pain is below a 6 for this one.)

You don’t have to do these things perfectly, and don’t be alarmed if they feel challenging or out of reach. At this point, you’re just gathering information - noticing current patterns in your mind and body as you prepare for working with a professional therapist.

Mindfulness Guides for Pain Relief

Using an audio guide for mindfulness practice can be very helpful, serving as good preparation for beginning Pain Reprocessing Therapy. I have created multiple meditation guides at The Mindful Christian, which incorporate techniques of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction with Scripture and an awareness of God’s presence.

Here are some practical mindfulness audio guides to get you started:

Body Scan: Practice observing your physical sensations through a nonjudgmental lens, while lying on the floor or a firm mattress.
Sitting Practice: Get in tune with your breathing and body, while sitting upright.
Stretching Practice: Observe the interaction of your mind and body as you move through a series of gentle and nourishing stretches, while either standing or sitting.
Lovingkindness Practice (or a more specifically Christian Blessing Practice): Practice receiving and extending compassion to yourself and others, recognizing that suffering is part of the human experience.

Everyone has some mindfulness practices that are easier to work with than others, so don’t be concerned if it takes you a little while to find the right mindfulness practice for you.

Like physical exercise, mindfulness meditation practices are sometimes uncomfortable (mentally and physically), so it will help to give it time, being curious about how things change as you move through the practice. It is also okay to stop a practice at any time if you feel too overwhelmed - that’s where talking to a professional can help you take the next step.

Chronic Pain Cured

So what happened to my foot pain at the beginning of this post? Without my awareness, a simple shift occurred in my brain after learning that foot pain can be caused by overly-supportive shoes. This completely changed my subconscious interpretation of my physical sensations when I was barefoot, and my pain went away.

No more fear: My brain stopped associating my foot sensations with danger and started associating those same sensations with strengthening.
No more avoidance: I stopped avoiding being barefoot or wearing flat shoes.
No more tension: I reduced the intensity around which shoes I had to wear at which times, becoming more flexible and lighthearted about the sensations in my feet.
No more hyperfocus: I allowed my sensations to be present without zeroing in on them as a problem.

This is how healing from chronic pain works. Because all pain is from the brain, we have the power to change our chronic pain by learning to retrain our brains!

How Dwell Psychological Services Supports You

Through Dwell Psychological Services, I provide Pain Reprocessing Therapy in-person in East Grand Rapids, MI, and online in 43 PsyPact states. The first step is a free phone consultation to determine if we would be a good fit for working together. Then we will schedule an intake appointment and I will gather information about your history of chronic pain.

For clients seeking faith-based pain management that incorporates psychology and spirituality, this can be included in the process of therapy as desired. For example, as clients are re-learning safety in their bodies through Pain Reprocessing Therapy, some find it helpful to reference Scripture or incorporate prayer - this can be part of our work together!

Conclusion

Mindfulness can be a highly effective component of your pain relief journey, and many tools are available to support you along the way. Try out some of the free audio guides on my site, and reach out to schedule a free phone consultation for Pain Reprocessing Therapy. You can feel better!

Schedule a free consult for Pain Reprocessing Therapy