Chronic pain can consume your life, leaving no room for anything else. In some instances, trying to control the pain can lead to dangerous drugs that can fuel addiction. What is needed to gain control is a combination of medication management and chronic pain management therapy. There is no one approach to every kind of pain, because each person experiences their chronic pain in a different way based on their personality, experience, and coping strategies.
An effective chronic pain management therapy program takes this individuality into account and meets the person where they are to design a program that is best suited for their individual needs. Our program at Westwind Recovery® can teach the individual skills that will help them manage their pain on their own.
Medication Management
Chronic pain management therapy can help you get away from addictive medication like opiates and utilize more modern types of medications that work to alleviate the pain enough so that you can utilize other pain management methods. An effective program understands that sometimes medication is necessary but it shouldn’t be the only means of relief. To this end, you will experience a detox period where all medication is removed from your system and you start over. Some medications have a rebound effect, actually contributing to your pain rather than decreasing it. This is one thing you will learn to recognize in chronic pain management or an addiction treatment therapy program. In place of medication, various other pain-reducing methods are used.
Chronic Pain Management
The traditional 12-step addiction program has a step that teaches you to separate yourself from your addiction or in this case, your pain. You will learn how to recognize the negative thoughts you have toward the pain and let them go. It is a matter of you often increase what you fight. By accepting that the pain exists but it is not who you are or even being inflicted upon you, you can become an observer to the pain and this enables you to manage it better. You can do this by learning techniques like relaxation and mindfulness. It is important to understand that the more power you give to the pain, the greater it becomes. By simply observing it instead of judging, you lessen its hold on you. It is only then that you gain control. That is something chronic pain management therapy can teach you.
A Combination Approach
An effective chronic pain management therapy program doesn’t rely on just one method to help with the management. It utilizes a variety of different approaches. For example, an addiction treatment program might consist of acupuncture, mindfulness, a physical therapy program, and yoga, as well as counseling. Each element meets a specific need yet they also work together. By approaching pain management from the three different angles of mind, body, and spirit, you are allowing treatment as an entire being. You are not giving life to the pain itself. Only by separating yourself and knowing that pain is what you are feeling, not what you are, you have a better chance of managing it.
Westwind Recovery® and Managing Chronic Pain
If you are finding that trying to live with chronic pain has taken over your life, reach out to Westwind Recovery® today. Our team can tell you more about our chronic pain management program. We offer a number of therapies that could help you heal, including:
- TMS therapy program
- Trauma therapy program
- Virtual reality meditation therapy
- Adventure therapy program
- Art therapy program
- Music therapy program
Our chronic pain management therapy is designed to approach pain from several angles, giving you the best chance of being able to find comfort. By using both medication-assisted treatment, effective, evidence-based therapies, and holistic approaches to treatment, we can help you heal. Call us today to learn more.
Dr. Deena is the Chief Clinical Officer of Westwind Recovery®, an award-winning outpatient treatment center in Los Angeles where she oversees the clinical and administrative program and treatment methods. Dr. Deena is a doctor of psychology and licensed clinical social worker since 1993. LCSW #20628. Originally from the East Coast, Dr. Deena has worked running treatment centers, worked as a therapist in psychiatric hospitals as well as school settings and currently has a thriving private practice in the LA area. Dr. Deena has appeared regularly on the Dr. Phil Show as an expert since 2003. She has also been featured on many other TV shows, podcasts and has contributed to written publications as well as podcasts.
