Pain management is never easy, but there are specific psychological interventions that may help. Cognitive methods, such as distraction, are one way to lower pain intensity, according to Science Daily.
Research reported in the Journal of Pain discussed simple short-term cognitive pain management techniques such as acceptance, distraction, and cognitive restructuring. Researchers in Germany studied 109 females who were exposed to thermal mode experimental pain stimuli.
The study results show that acceptance provided more benefit than cognitive restructuring, which is meant to change the appraisal of pain dysfunction. However, distraction was found to provide the biggest benefit for pain management. New research hailing from Amsterdam also touts the advantages of talk therapy, according to Reuters Health.
More than 100 children with chronic stomach pain between seven and eighteen years of age were followed by researchers from Emma Children’s Hospital Academic Medical Center. Half of these patients were assigned to cognitive behavioral therapy where they learned about relaxation exercises and distraction strategies. The other children were sent to a pediatrician who gave them advice about diet and managing school activities.
Children who met with a therapist once a week had their stomachaches lessen or disappear after one year. Regular appointments with a pediatrician provided similar findings. At least 8 percent of all youth have unexplained chronic abdominal pain, studies show. Some research found that cognitive behavioral therapy may help.
“There’s an accumulating body of evidence to suggest that it is effective,” Paul Robins, a pediatric psychologist from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told the news source. “What we’re teaching kids are techniques that help regulate … stress reactions and help them cope with pain, as well as … return to their normal activities.”
With the help of psychological interventions, pain management becomes easier and patients are more likely to have their aches lessen. Some with chronic pain may feel as if they can live their life once again.