Surprising Mind Tricks to Help You Manage Chronic Pain

When it comes to trying to manage feelings of chronic physical pain, the urge to feel better can at times be so overwhelming that a patient will be willing to try almost any method to find relief, no matter how unorthodox or unusual the method may seem initially.

As it turns out, there are more than a few less than common techniques that people have been using to manage their symptoms of chronic physical pain, and they tend to involve a sort of training of the mind's processing of sensations in the body. According to an informative article by Spine Health, these are some of the most effective and helpful, if not unusual, methods that people have been using for decades in order to improve their chronic pain and bring themselves relief.

The good news about all of these unusual methods is that, even though they may seem surprising or unorthodox, they are all completely natural and come with no side effects. That's more than can be said for potentially risky pain medications or other invasive procedures, isn't it? 

Taking back control of the mind and the mental processing of physical pain is the first big step towards learning how to manage your body's chronic pain flare ups. One method that can be used is known as sensory splitting. This technique requires the patient to separate each sensation they are currently experiencing into different parts. For example, a patient with chronic pain may identify that they are feeling a burn, numbness, or an ache simultaneously in their body at any given time. Interestingly enough, focusing on just the sensations, as opposed to the overall pain, has been shown to actually reduce the perception of physical pain by the patient. 

Dissociation is another fantastic mindfulness technique for reducing feelings of physical pain. While this technique can be used for a wide variety of issues a person may have, a patient who is experiencing chronic pain can use this method to mentally separate the pain from their body. For example, many patients have reported that an effective way to use dissociation involves imagining the physical pain as a tangible being. A patient can use their mind to visualize this entity and tell it to go to the other side of the room. As silly as this may sound, it is a great way to get your mind off of the uncomfortable physical sensations you may be feeling. Combined with regular chiropractic care, mindfulness techniques can really improve a patient's quality of life overall.

Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Ervins Strauhmanis