The Physical Therapist’s Role in Behavioral and Mental Health: A Turning Point For the Profession and Opportunity to Promote Mental Wellbeing
The profession of physical therapy grew out of World War I (1914-1918) when ‘Reconstructive Aides’ were sent overseas and around the United States to help soldiers recover from physical injuries and battle neurosis. Battle neurosis is a type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with depression, anxiety and other traumatic symptoms. Since the dawn of the […]
Physical Therapists’ Perceptions of Learning and Implementing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to Treat Chronic Pain: A Pilot Study on the Integrative Pain Science Institute Experience
Chronic pain presents a physical and psychological burden for millions of Americans, and is a global health pandemic. This burden has been worsened by the widespread emphasis placed on a biomedical approach that largely neglects to address the psychosocial components and processes of chronic pain. This omission has led to poorly managed pain, the chronification […]
Self-Compassion and Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can take a huge toll on mental health. Anger, frustration, self-blame, and animosity towards oneself and others often surface in people experiencing persistent pain, making it difficult to manage. Practicing self-compassion (“taking a kind, accepting, and non-judgmental stance towards oneself in times of failure or difficulty”) can make living with pain and responding […]
Anger: How it makes pain worse and how to stop it
Anger can be one of the biggest roadblocks to recovering from chronic pain. People are angry for many reasons— either at the system for not helping them or failing them, at themselves, at their circumstances or at other people. We all feel anger during our lives, but we face additional challenges if anger becomes chronic. […]
Make it a Habit: 3 Tips for Living Pain-Free
There are 3 P’s of living with less pain— Pacing, Patience and Persistence. I have seen many patients overcome chronic pain, all of whom have embodied these traits. The 3 P’s help create small, sustainable change in your daily life to begin ending the pain. Do you seek to alleviate your pain? Does it feel…
Can Mindfulness Heal Chronic Pain?
Does positive thinking really work for those in pain? Positive thinking and mindfulness or the opposite, pain catastrophizing, is rampant across the internet and self-help books. But you may not have heard about the ways healthcare providers are harnessing the mind-body connection to provide real results for real patients with chronic pain. Mind-body techniques are […]