Physical therapy and medications are common treatments for chronic pain. Another lesser-known option is psychotherapy (talk therapy). Talk therapy may help if your pain is worsened by focusing on or catastrophizing the pain.
In this video, learn about the different subtypes of talk therapy that may help improve chronic pain.
References
American Psychological Association. (2013). Managing chronic pain: How psychologists can help with pain management.
American Psychological Association. (2019). Mindfulness meditation: A research-proven way to reduce stress.
The American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. (n.d.). Treatment options for chronic pain.
Anxiety & Depression Association of America. (n.d.). Chronic pain.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Prevalence of chronic pain and high-impact chronic pain among adults — United States, 2016.
Dindo, L., et al. (2017). Acceptance and commitment therapy: a transdiagnostic behavioral intervention for mental health and medical conditions. Neurotherapeutics.
Ehde, D., et al. (2014). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for individuals with chronic pain efficacy, innovations, and directions for research. American Psychologist.
Marske, C., et al. (2020). Mindfulness-based stress reduction in the management of chronic pain and its comorbid depression. Journal of Osteopathic Medicine.
Mental Health America. (n.d.). Chronic pain and mental health.
Sheng, J., et al. (2017). The link between depression and chronic pain: neural mechanisms in the brain. Neural Plasticity.
Why trust our experts?
