Living with chronic pain means living with chronic worry. But it's actually this fear, frustration, and despair around the pain that keeps your pain signals activated. Even once you know how destructive these thought patterns are, it’s so hard to keep your mind from going there. In this episode, Alan and Alon explain why your brain keeps pulling you to pain, and how you can break this habit. Alan talks to Chris, a chronic pain sufferer with so much fear and frustration around his pain, he can think of little else. Alan teaches him a new technique to calm these thoughts, cutting off the fuel source for his pain. Then Alan and Alon describe how you can use this same technique to overcome your own pain.

How Do I Get to the Root of My Pain?

When it comes to chronic pain, everyone has a unique story to tell. But when it comes to the fears, doubts and struggles around pain, we all have much more in common. Join hosts Alan Gordon, LCSW (Founder of the Pain Psychology Center) and Alon Ziv as they respond to the experiences of real chronic pain sufferers and provide techniques based on the latest neuroscience to help listeners overcome chronic pain. Powered by Curable, an online program that teaches people to use evidence-based techniques to relieve chronic pain. For updates and more information about Tell Me About Your Pain, visit curablehealth.com/tellmeaboutyourpain

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

Every chronic pain sufferer is searching for the key that will finally unlock their recovery. In the final episode of Tell Me About Your Pain, callers from all over the world share the tools that have been most effective in reducing or eliminating their symptoms. Alan and Alon also talk about the various techniques they’ve covered throughout the podcast, and Alan reveals the single concept that was most important in overcoming his own pain.

What Is the Most Important Tool for Overcoming Pain?

Alan and Alon talk to Christie Uipi, Director of the Better Mind Center, who recently participated in a groundbreaking study on the treatment of chronic pain. Christie explains how they treated the patients in the study and what the results mean for the future of chronic pain. Christie also talks about her own struggles with chronic symptoms (knee pain, wrist pain, stomach issues) and how she overcame them. Alan, Alon, and Christie discuss the power of 'No' - a word that's difficult for many chronic pain sufferers. And finally, Christie reveals what she thinks is the single most important thing for overcoming pain.

Why is 'No' the Most Important Word for Healing Pain?

Fear is the fuel that keeps chronic pain alive. But as many pain sufferers know, it's hard to overcome that fear when it feels so powerful and so automatic. In this episode, Alan and Alon explain how to teach your brain to turn off the fear by introducing a new concept: corrective experiences and setbacks. Alan talks to Sue, who suffers from multiple painful symptoms, and Christie, who feels pain whenever she types. These sessions provide real life examples of corrective experiences and setbacks in action. Finally, Alan and Alon explain how you can use corrective experiences to help your brain unlearn the fear and deactivate your pain.

How Do I Teach My Brain to Deactivate My Pain?

Alan and Alon talk about the role of emotions in chronic pain. They discuss the benefits of tapping into difficult emotions, and provide a simple and effective technique for doing so. Alan talks to Ginger and Chris who are having trouble connecting with their feelings, and he helps them feel their emotions in a safe way. Finally, Alan talks to Mandi and reveals the one emotion that every chronic pain sufferer needs to address.

How Do I Feel My Emotions, and How Can That Help My Pain?

Many chronic pain sufferers know the heartbreak of working so hard on their recovery, but not seeing any improvement. In this episode, Alan talks to Paula who's endured chronic headaches and dizziness for two years. Paula has tried everything from medication to meditation, but nothing has worked. Alan helps Paula realize that her approach has been the opposite of what she actually needs to heal. Alan and Alon discuss the common pitfall that's kept Paula stuck and explain how pain patients can get past it to finally find relief.

How Do I Get to the Root of My Pain?

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