{"id":702,"date":"2011-02-21T17:55:07","date_gmt":"2011-02-21T17:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/personalpolishing.wordpress.com\/?p=702"},"modified":"2011-02-21T17:55:07","modified_gmt":"2011-02-21T17:55:07","slug":"amazingly-simple-pain-relief-trick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leadershipshape.com\/wardroom\/amazingly-simple-pain-relief-trick\/","title":{"rendered":"Amazingly Simple Pain-Relief Trick"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Carole Jackson<\/strong>, Bottom Line Health<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

We generally assume that when something hurts, the pain is caused by a real biological event — a wound, an infection, a sprain. But this isn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t always the case. For instance, consider the dramatic example of phantom limb pain, in which people experience sensations — most often pain — in an arm or leg that has been amputated. It\u00e2\u0080\u0099s puzzling… and oddly fascinating… all the more so now that neuroscientists have discovered that they can use mirrors (in a complicated arrangement) to trick the brain into “seeing” the missing limb as present — and that doing so causes the pain to stop! Recently I read about a new effort in which UK scientists have started to develop simpler tricks that people with any kind of pain can do themselves — no mirrors needed (no drugs either) — to “fool” their brains into perceiving less pain. It involves simply touching your own body in a certain way. It sounds so appealing — does it really work?<\/p>\n

The Brain\u00e2\u0080\u0099s Point of View<\/strong><\/p>\n

We will have to wait awhile to see published results on this research, but I didn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t want to wait to learn more about something that sounded so simple, promising and safe! I placed a call to pain psychologist Beth Darnall, PhD, at the Oregon Health & Science University, to ask her opinion on the idea of using your own touch to control pain.<\/p>\n

Dr. Darnall told me that this works because of a process that scientists call “brain signaling.” An ample body of research has shown that often the brain does not distinguish between what is real (that you can see and touch) and what it just believes<\/em> to be true based on experience. Furthermore, she said, research shows that just thinking negatively about pain can create biochemical changes that show up in MRI brain scans when areas associated with pain light up. In other words, people can literally grow their pain through their thoughts — so it also makes sense, Dr. Darnall says, that people can use their brains to banish it.<\/p>\n

Mind Over Pain<\/strong><\/p>\n

So what can we do with this intriguing research finding? Here\u00e2\u0080\u0099s Dr. Darnall\u00e2\u0080\u0099s advice on how to put it to use right now…<\/p>\n

The first step is to become aware of the extent to which chronic pain triggers anxiety<\/em> and catastrophic thinking<\/em> (chronic thoughts and feelings of helplessness and doom). This increases stress and worsens pain, so it is crucial to establish ways to calm and center your body and mind — otherwise you\u00e2\u0080\u0099ll be “at the mercy of anything in the environment, including your own body,” said Dr. Darnall. She suggested that a type of counseling called cognitive behavior therapy can be a good way to learn how to eliminate anxiety and catastrophic thinking, noting that studies show that such therapy actually can change — physically<\/em> change — the neural networks of the brain and make them healthier.<\/p>\n

As far as the self-touch method for pain relief, Dr. Darnall told me about a technique she developed called “bilateral tactile stimulation” that you can learn to use on yourself for pain relief — though it\u00e2\u0080\u0099s important to start with a practitioner in order to experience how it is properly done. Note:<\/em> Psychotherapists trained in either Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) or Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) are the ones most likely to be familiar with this technique.<\/p>\n

How it works:<\/em> Sitting in front of the client, the therapist leads him\/her through a guided visualization or deep-relaxation exercise while lightly and rapidly tapping one side and then the other of (for example) the back of the knees or hands — a place that is easy to reach and comfortable but not the painful spot. This is done for one to three minutes. According to Dr. Darnall, this works to reduce pain in the following ways…<\/p>\n