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When Charlie started working with me some time ago, he told me he’d seen therapists in the past who had helped him contain some of his symptoms. Unfortunately, though, his chronic stomach issues had persisted and even increased over time. After we began work together he made huge progress in resolving this problem and, importantly, came to understand the cause of his neuroplastic symptoms.
Many of you reading this lived with chronic pain for several years, seeing countless health practitioners and specialists in order to try and discover what was wrong. Sometimes you’d get small insights from these health professionals that helped, and at other times you’d find yourself in more pain.
Across Ireland, thousands of people are living with chronic pain that persists despite scans, medication or treatment. I know this both from my own research and practice and from that of my colleagues at Chronic Pain Ireland.
Living with long term-pain, especially after years of medical appointments, tests and the endless searching for answers, it’s natural to develop habits of thinking and reacting that feel as if they’re ‘fixed’. Even when you begin learning about neuroplastic symptoms or discover Dr. John Sarno’s work on Tension Myoneural Syndrome (TMS) and finally see a way forward, something inside can still feel stuck. The term for that gridlocked feeling is mental rigidity.
A little while ago I invited a few of the people I teach if they might like to complete a survey. As some of you will know I’m asked to write articles about the Resolving Chronic Pain (RCP) process for interested organisations or journals. I have often wondered what the people involved in the process might like to read about. I was also interested in your experience of the RCP process.
One of the most surprising things about being human is that so much of what we think of another person may actually have little to do with them and a lot to do with us. I’ve come to understand this through my training and the many people I have worked with in the Resolving Chronic Pain (RCP) process.
When Daniel first approached me, he’d been suffering from unpleasant and debilitating stomach problems for several years. As a result, his life opportunities had significantly shrunk and the values he’d always upheld seemed to have slipped away.
Many people grow up in homes where keeping the peace isn’t just encouraged, it’s an emotional requirement. There can be many reasons for this. The tension may come from parents struggling financially, family issues, alcohol misuse, unpredictable moods, unspoken grief or the heavy silences that shape so many households.
At this time of year it’s hard to avoid hearing about new year’s resolutions. Although the general consensus seems to be that they rarely last, many of us still go ahead and make them. Mine was to stop drinking alcohol for six weeks, and week one has gone splendidly, mainly because I think my body is so relieved to have a rest from consumption!