Last night SBS’s Insight program aired Ouch! How much pain can you handle?
I thought the program was great and provided a great broad definition about pain’s many forms and the varying ways it impacts people’s lives.
As usual, I was waiting for a lead. Waiting to hear that someone with chronic pain had found a way out of it and was cured. Mrs Gleeson, I could have bet you were going to say you were fine, after all, you looked it! And so did Lesley Brydon, Pain Australia‘s CEO… how could she be in any pain?
Tonight was the night I was going to hear about my cure.
It didn’t happen.
That made me want to write this post… I want to write to those that felt the slump and weight of the thought that remained with them at the end of the program that went something like this: I’m never going to get better.
It made me want to write, don’t believe it!
Well I don’t believe it, I don’t accept that my body will remain in this rut as long as I live and I believe this because I can see I’m getting better sloooooooowly. Answering the following questions allow me to come to that conclusion:
- How am I compared to a year ago?
- How is my activity compared to a year ago?
- How does my treatment compare to a year ago?
- How are my pain levels compared to a year ago?
- What is my creativity like compared to a year ago?
- What is my work ability like compared to a year ago?
- How much help do I need compared to a year ago?
My answers; I am better, more active, having much less treatment, my pain levels are lower, I am more creative, I have sustained my work ability and I need a little less help. There!
It’s not the best answer, a year is a long time but I believe the thinking ‘It is what it is‘ as stated by Mrs Gleeson, almost allows an acceptance, a kind of peace with pain. I experienced that and from there I personally used that calm to pace me back to life.
It’s working.
I believe in brain plasticity, I believe in healing, and I am very well aware our brains are uniquely wired. I’ve always thought, the harder the task, the more committment, sacrifice and discipline required, and chronic pain is definitely the greatest task of my life. I don’t feel there’s another choice for me but to listen to my self, pave my own unique pain management, take in information from programs such as these and their brilliant guest professionals, and just do my best.
I believe I can make my own conclusion to ‘Ouch’… Chronic pain will not be with me forever.
I suffer from chronic nerve pain in 90% of my body. The result of a long and dangerous operation to remove a spinal cord , brain stem tumor . I am very lucky to be alive and a part of my children’s lives. I don’t talk about my pain as I feel it sounds selfish and ungrateful …. however nerve pain is insidious. From the outside I look completely fine but on the inside I am in discomfort . At times for no apparent reason the pain can become unbearable. I have tried ever drug known to man with very little success . I can cope well through the day , the busier I am mentally and physically the easier it is to ignore . Nights for me are long and lonely . I can’t remember what it feels like to sleep comfortably, or deeply . I am always tired. There are time.
When I hear my friends wish for longevity I feel guilty because on the one hand im thankful to those who saved my life and on the other there are days I wish they hadn’t. I certainly don’t want a long life .
I was watching it as well and hoped they may have spoken to a few people who like myself have found a way to free themselves of their pain. I have suffered with chronic pain for over 17 years and actively searched for ways to heal myself. I believe i had tried most things that were offered until i was introduced to a modality called Faster EFT. This modality addresses the emotional aspect of the pain and as Professor Moseley mentioned why it is keeping us safe. Neuroscience research tells us the mind is the body, the body is the mind. Unless we go to the trauma and memories held in the mind from when the pain started and heal the emotional triggers, the mind still feels the injury/ trauma. The lady who was left with pain after her knee operation is a perfect an example as was my own experience. Using this modality to heal my painful emotional past has healed my physical body.Please take the time to watch some of the over 800 youtube videos and heal yourself or get in touch with me and i am happy to do a free session for you. I am now studying to become a Faster EFT practitioner so i can help other people like you and me. If you are in Australia there are some seminars and free sessions coming up in March. I would encourage you to attend and check it out if you are looking to completely free yourself of pain or any other issues. I will be at the Melbourne one and i would love to meet you and see what i can do to help.
Lalita
I’m somewhat divided about the program, I thought it did well in describing the complexity of pain and Dr Cousins espousing the lack of treatable options for pain reduction and or relief. What it did not do, is enable the guest clinicians to advocate for further funding in research and the desperate need to avail chronic pain sufferers with relief. Dr. Michael Moskowitz, a leading advocate in neuroplasticity suggests that pain management is redundant and we should be looking for total pain eradication. The show left me with a hollowness subtlety suggestive that chronic pain sufferers should learn to live with pain. If elite athletes can do it, why shouldn’t you.
Soula, you spoke to my heart in this post! Right on, sista. I have only been dealing with pain for 5 years now, but it’s been quite a journey. Sometimes I get incredibly frustrated and feel that there is no way out. But as you said, I look at where I’m at now compared to where I was and there are huge improvements. It just takes time, it takes openness, it takes kindness to ourselves, it takes love, it takes appreciating the small things and the small improvements and belief that we are making progress. Humans are amazing beings, and healing will take place when we hit upon the things that work for us. There is no one answer to pain, we all must find our own way forward. But though we’re each unique and our journeys are unique, we are not alone. We will get there. Thank you for sharing this.
I also thought the SBS program on chronic pain was excellent, particularly the responses of top specialists like Michael Cousins. The Weekend Australian Magazine ofJan 31 – Feb01 had an article “Brain Heal My Pain” by Norman Doidge which discussed neuroplasticity and the possibility of self healing of pain. After a pain journey of 12 years I still have hope of a pain-free life.