Every comprehensive pain center offers a psychological component as an integral part of the evaluation and treatment of their patients. Indeed, some of the major accrediting agencies for pain centers requires that psychology be part of the program. There are good reasons for this and some of these are described below.
Pain patients initially referred for psychological evaluation and treatment sometimes misunderstand the role of psychology. It is not because someone here considers your pain to be imaginary, not “real, ” or “all in your head ” This is decidedly not the case, at least not at PainCare! With very few exceptions, all patients in the PainCare program with chronic pain conditions are recommended for psychological assessment and treatment as part of their overall pain management.
As a person suffering the consequences of chronic pain, you know very well how pain can disrupt your life. Most people with chronic pain suffer from some degree of depression, anxiety, frustration and anger. They frequently suffer loss of self-esteem associated with limitations in their ability to function fully as parent, spouse, and productive individual. Their families are often affected in adverse ways as they try to cope with the pain and suffering of a loved one. Patients usually become more socially isolated because they are unable to do the things they used to do with their family and friends. A very important role for the pain psychologist is to prevent or reduce some of these potentially disastrous psychological consequences.
As a person with pain you are probably also aware that the everyday stresses of life, as well as the real crises we all have from time to time, can aggravate your pain and increase your overall level of suffering. The pain psychologist is available to teach you stress management techniques that can significantly reduce your suffering. These are things you can do for yourself, taking an active role in your own pain treatment, in addition to any medical treatment or physical therapy you are receiving.
Doctors comes to PainCare with more than 25 years’ experience as a psychologist, including specialized postdoctoral training in pain management and 12 years of clinical experience working with individuals coping with chronic pain. Since your pain is definitely not “all in your head,” the psychologist will not be able to “cure” your pain condition. However, the psychologist will very likely be able to help you cope with the destructive consequences of your pain, to teach you ways of reducing your pain, and help with managing the other life stressors which aggravate your pain. The psychologist will also conduct pain education and stress management groups to inform you and your family about the nature of chronic pain and what you yourself can do to reduce pain and its effects.