Cognitive-behavioural therapy for pain management
Treatment Overview
Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) teaches relaxation techniques, stress management, and other ways to help you cope with pain. Physical, psychological, and social factors all play a role in pain management.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy is based on the idea that thought and behaviour patterns can affect symptoms and disability and may be obstacles to recovery. For example, when you feel a familiar type of pain starting or getting worse, you probably have a sense of how it will progress. If you are used to the pain being severe or long-lasting, you may expect the pain to become more intense. This thinking may make you feel out of control or helpless. A stress response like this can trigger physical changes in your body, such as a rise in blood pressure, the release of stress hormones, muscle tension, and more pain.
You can expect to attend several sessions with a therapist, each lasting about an hour. Sometimes therapy takes place in a group setting. You will be taught specific exercises that increase your ability to cope and your feelings of control. Your therapist will give you homework to encourage you to change the way you respond to your symptoms. You will then be taught how to practise changing a certain behaviour until the next session.
What To Expect After Treatment
Cognitive-behavioural skills can change the way your mind influences your body. When you shift your thinking away from the pain and change your focus to more positive aspects of your life, you change the way your body responds to the anticipated pain and stress.
Why It Is Done
The goal of cognitive-behavioural therapy is to change the way you think about the pain so that your body and mind respond better when you have episodes of pain. Therapy focuses on changing your thoughts about illness and then helping you adopt positive ways of coping with illness. For cognitive-behavioural therapy to be most effective, work together with your counsellor toward common goals.
How Well It Works
CBT can be helpful for chronic pain by changing the way you think about pain. It also teaches you how to become more active. Pain can also improve with appropriate physical activity, such as walking or swimming.
Risks
There are no risks associated with cognitive-behavioural therapy.
What To Think About
Whatever the reasons for improvement, it is clear that cognitive-behavioural therapy can be helpful for some people who have persistent pain. It has virtually none of the side effects that other treatments, such as medications, can cause.
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| Author: | Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH | Last Updated: May 28, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine Nancy Greenwald, MD - Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Brian D. O'Brien, MD - Internal Medicine | |
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| Topic Contents | |
| Treatment Overview | |
| What To Expect After Treatment | |
| Why It Is Done | |
| How Well It Works | |
| Risks | |
| What To Think About | |