Body
Next Avenue, a digital PBS publication, recently featured Shirley Ryan AbilityLab clinical psychologist Claire Pedersen, PsyD, in a story about the connection between chronic pain and anger — and how anger can have an impact on the perception, intensity and frequency of pain.
Today’s treatment approaches for chronic pain take a more holistic view of the psychological impact of pain. According to the article, anger is the “most prominent emotion in people living with chronic pain.”
"The more contemporary approach to treating chronic pain is to recognize the connection between the central nervous system and the rest of the body, and to look at the ways that stress has both a physiological and psychological impact on the way we experience pain,” said Dr. Pedersen, in the article.
Dr. Pedersen, who treats patients in Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Pain Management Center, offered several emotional regulation and anger management strategies for people who live with chronic pain.
Among the tips she shared are to identify and label emotions; increase the “repertoire of behavior responses” after becoming upset, such as taking deep breaths or distracting oneself with pleasant thoughts; building a social network and support system; and reconnecting with personal values to re-engage “with life in a meaningful way in spite of chronic pain.”
"Our brains and bodies communicate in beautiful and intricate ways," concluded Dr. Pedersen, in the article. "Even when living with chronic pain, we can use that connection to promote physical and emotional well-being."
About Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Pain Management Center
Body
The Pain Management Center provides a supportive, challenging, active care environment for patients living with chronic pain — with an interdisciplinary approach that includes traditional therapies as well as interventions to help improve patients’ physical and emotional well-being.
