Relaxation Techniques to Manage Chronic Pain – Part One

Chronic pain is a complex experience of the body. However, more and more evidence is pointing to pain’s relationship to psychological factors, such as unending stress, depression, anger, and anxiety. Research indicates that chronic pain has both emotional and social factors, particularly the ongoing experience of stress. Taking the relationship between chronic pain and stress seriously means that by participating in relaxation techniques you can help to manage pain. This article is the first in a two part series that defines types of psychological stress as well as discusses relaxation techniques to manage chronic pain.

To see how relaxing the body can help with chronic pain management, it’s important to understand the relationship between stress and pain in the body. It’s clear that the body responds when there is a stressful situation at hand. When the body is stressed, the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system becomes activated and the flight/fight system in the brain is turned on. When the stressful situation passes, the body relaxes again and the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps to bring the body back in balance, is activated. The heart rate slows down, breathing becomes long and slow, and muscles in the body relax.

However, ongoing, endless stress can physically hurt. The activation of the sympathetic nervous system again and again can be taxing on the body, causing pain. Research indicates that when patients with chronic back pain just think about a stressful event, their pain dramatically increases. Because of this reaction to stress, it’s important to understand which relaxation techniques to manage chronic pain work best for you.

In fact, stress seems to have an effect on us without our knowing and sometimes we might not even be able to identify which circumstances in life are stressful. The following types of psychological stress are meant to help distinguish those circumstances:

Pressure is the psychological experience produced by urgent demands or expectations for a person’s behavior, originating from an outside source. For an adult, this could be the pressure to complete a business project, build your client base, manage children at home, meet the needs of your spouse and other family members, along with tending to your own physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Uncontrollability is the degree of control that a person has over a particular event or situation. An adult might often experience him or herself as having very little control over life. Sometimes, circumstances at work, the traffic to and from employment, wishing your spouse would change, or attempting to manage your children in ways that are ineffective can all lead to feelings of powerlessness.  The inability to control these emotions and any circumstances that trigger them is this form of psychological stress.

Frustration is the psychological experience produced by the blocking of a desired goal or fulfillment of a perceived need. There are two types of frustration: external and internal. Examples of external forms of frustration are a car breaking down, a desired job not coming through, or a rejection of some sort. Examples of internal forms of frustration are when a goal is not attained or a need is not fulfilled because of a personal characteristic, such as not acquiring a job in the engineering field because math skills are poor. Both forms of frustration are not only common, but the inability to cope with frustration is frequent. When reaching a desired goal is blocked, the result might be frustration, in addition to an injured sense of self.

These forms of stress, although seemingly minor, can add up over time. When certain situations are experienced again and again without having enough relaxation to counter balance them, stress can eventually lead to pain.

In the next article to this series, we will cover types of relaxation techniques that can be utilized anywhere – in the car on the way to work, or standing in line at the bank. Making time for these relaxation techniques might be the challenge. However, doing so can create a transformed life. In fact, doing so can not only relieve pain but also bring about a deeper connection to life.

By Dr. James  Lin
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