Management of chronic pain is one of the most common and difficult challenges facing health care professionals. Although sometimes the cause can not be found, most patients think their problem has a physical cause. They tend to doubt any psychological or spiritual approach. In fact, this approach may not be able to get rid of the pain.

However, there is evidence that some non-physical interventions can reduce the subjective suffering associated with the injured body. What can alleviate pain when a drug or surgery fails? Why do we believe that psychological or mental procedures may contribute to chronic pain?

Disperse chronic pain

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The potential value of dispersing pain is not difficult to accept. This may be part of the reason why relaxation training is widely used. Relaxation procedures can distract attention, away from a very unpleasant sensation, and cause less tension in the body. One theory is that, where possible, once a patient participates in normal daily activities, the focus on pain will be reduced and the intensity of pain will diminish.

Two arrows for chronic pain

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However, the distraction may be too much. According to another useful method, mindfulness, this is the case. The Buddha said that pain is a part of life. This is inevitable because we live in a body that is prone to death and disease. However, when someone feels pain, they feel uneasy and they worry and feel upset. They are dissatisfied with physical pain and always want to stay away from it. Therefore, in addition to physical pain, they also have mental pain. It's as if they were hurt by the arrow and then immediately hit by the second arrow and they experienced the pain of two arrows. Desire to get relief and distraction from pain, and begin to fill their thoughts. So they do unnecessary shopping or house cleaning, uneasily surfing the internet, or making endless tea. But as already pointed out:

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Constantly trying to stop the pain can stay for a while, but it is very tired and eventually you feel exhausted. Now that you are at the other extreme, the feeling of collapse is overwhelmed. Because pain dominates your experience, you may lose your perspective and forget what is in addition to pain in your life."

[Vidyamala Burch, author of "Life in Pain and Disease"]

Mindfulness training for chronic pain

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Jon Kabat-Zinn developed an eight-week outpatient program, later called Mindfulness Decompression [MBSR], especially for people with persistent pain. Not to eliminate pain, but to learn a new method related to pain. Reduce the pressure on most people who usually respond to pain.

Mindfulness is to understand more about the moment through thoughtful attention. Teachers encourage us to adopt a loving and accepting attitude and not rely on self-judgment. They say that this requires a kind of mental training and requires a lot of practice to achieve.

The problem with patients with chronic pain is the second arrow, usually the extra damage caused by a negative attitude towards pain. Usually emotional, all kinds of minds chatter, automatic thinking, emotions and images. In response to pain, it is filled with angry thoughts, escaping from real fantasy, and uneasi and frustrating thoughts. The mind seems to have its own ideas!

All of this is hard to endure the painful feeling, accept them, let them become, explore them without resistance, see what they are, and not imagine what they are.

Christianity's view of chronic pain

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From their spiritual practice, Christians know something similar to mindfulness. They are differently called "silent prayers", "contemplative prayers" or desert traditions. At this point, a deeper level of intuition, spiritual perception and compassion are presented.

Tim Strind, a Christian pastor and a teacher of righteous thoughts, believe that righteous thoughts will bring the space of the God of Mercy to us, without being plagued by the thoughts and emotions that our pains are attracted to. According to the gospel story about ships and terrible disciples, peace in the midst of the horror of the storm is something that people can experience in Christ.

He points out that this means letting go of the natural feelings that often accompany painful anxiety, anger, fear or resentment. Believe that the sacred healing power is beyond our ability to relieve pain. Remembering the history of Jesus Christ – is said to be the embodiment of the origins of transcendental sympathy – when he experienced the pain of the cross, he also experienced severe pain.

Vidyamala Burch said that the calm prayers of Christianity are a good expression of the accepted attitude:

• Lord, please calmly accept what I can't change [the first arrow];

• The courage to change what I can do [the second arrow]

• Know the wisdom of difference [mindfulness is a tool that can help with this].

Chronic pain – Why optimistic? was originally published on Spring