Where do they come from?
You know the type – emails with 1000′s of footers with various virus protection & privacy notices, the ones forwarded from public health and police and other government departments – well, they can get you into trouble, and some are downright distressing. Others are simply silly. Here’s a couple for Friday Funnies: Foreign signs: In … Read more
Pain management in groups using a CBT approach: important therapist factors
I’m going to jump ahead of myself in this discussion of pain management in groups, using a CBT approach, and cut to a description of therapist factors that can influence how well a group programme works. I should add at this stage, that I’m basing much of what I write on my own experience over … Read more
Pain management in groups using a CBT approach – Why do it?
I’m spending a few days looking at practical ways for working with group CBT for chronic pain. It’s the most researched form of CBT-based pain management, and offers some very helpful features for people with chronic pain. I’ve looked at how groups can impart a sense of optimism and at how they help people with … Read more
`Pain management in groups using a CBT approach – Why do it?
`Yesterday I started to look at why pain management using a CBT approach can work well in groups. As I mentioned, it’s the most researched form of CBT-based pain management, and offers some very helpful features for people with chronic pain. Yesterday I looked at how a group approach can offer participants a sense of … Read more
Pain management in groups using a CBT approach – Why do it?
This week I’m looking a working effectively with groups for pain management using a CBT approach. Someone said recently ‘why should six clinicians be tied up for three weeks with only six patients? there are other people who need pain management too’ – and over the past ten years I’ve seen numerous attempts to move … Read more
Friday Funnies!
Yes, I’ve been good this week, and I have given myself TWO WHOLE DAYS off work! To reward yourself, take the following with a glass of water, and lie down. Can you tell I have a teenager? It’s true you know.
A model of executive functioning and stress regulation
I’m a visual kind of girl, I need to see a diagram to help me conceptualise how the things I’ve been writing about recently all fit together. I’ve been looking at the various aspects of self regulation, emotions and executive functions and how this affects and is affected by stressors, of which chronic pain is … Read more
Stress: The final frontier (executive functions)
It’s visceral. Stress – hits you in the guts. Some of us cope well, some of us don’t – some of our stress lingers, sometimes it’s just the little things, those ‘daily hassles’ that end up tripping the switch. And I don’t think anyone would disagree that chronic pain is an enormous stressor. Regulating that … Read more
Going with the flow: emotion regulation and coping
I’m in two minds about attempting to regulate emotions. From ACT, and in particular, mindfulness, I’m learning that trying to control emotions and thoughts is darned near impossible – and unhelpful. From the research on the effect of pain on emotions and subsequently on self regulation, goals and coping, it seems that pain strongly influences … Read more
