Psychology of pain

Psychology in the treatment of pain caused by back/spinal ailments

The person who suffers from long-term back pain can see how, with its onset, he/she suffers a loss of quality of life that can affect different areas of his/her daily life.

For this reason, it is increasingly common to incorporate the role of the psychologist within the multidisciplinary team that integrates the spine unit, in order to address the emotional discomfort related to poor adaptation to this new situation.

From the psychological point of view, we aim to improve the quality of life of people suffering from back pain by trying to reduce the suffering of the person and that he/she learns active strategies for coping with pain in order to regain control of his/her own life. Marta Vidal Rampérez, clinical psychologist, acupuncturist and physiotherapist specializing in pain management.

Treatment

The treatment, always personalized according to the person’s needs, will address different areas of action: emotional, behavioral, cognitive and social.

The psychological techniques used will have an impact on important aspects such as:

• The understanding of pain.
• The management of emotions.
• Restore and maintain daily, physical and social activities appropriate to the person’s current condition.
• Encourage active problem solving/conflicts that may arise during treatment.
• Encourage healthy lifestyles, etc.

The psychology session

In the first interview, Marta Vidal Rampérez, psychologist of the Unit specialized in pain management, performs a comprehensive assessment of the problem to be treated by collecting all the medical history of the person and the difficulties he/she presents.

After knowing the reasons for the consultation, the objectives and treatment plan will be established, which will always be individualized for each person. For this reason, the number of sessions and the duration of the treatment will depend on each particular case.

PSYCHOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES USED

HEALTHY PAIN MANAGEMENT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL WELLBEING

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy has proven useful in the treatment of chronic pain. Chronic pain can generate considerable psychological and physical discomfort. Cognitive-behavioral therapy aims to detect and intervene in how you think about your pain, how you feel and how you act in order to improve your psychological and physical well-being now.

Relaxation techniques

People are taught different techniques, methods, procedures or activities that help to control and/or reduce their muscular and/or psychic tension.

Mindfulness

Also called mindfulness, it is based on the concept of mindfulness of Buddhist meditation, although mindfulness is detached from religious beliefs and specific philosophies of life. Introduced in the West by Jon Kabat-Zinn, they are a series of exercises that promote awareness and the ability to focus and concentrate on the here and now.

Hypnosis

Hypnosis is not a therapy in itself, it is a psychotherapeutic technique that aims to encourage changes in the person through the use of suggestions that induce a state of concentration and focused attention. It can be a useful tool to increase the effectiveness of other treatments, one of the areas with the most scientific evidence being the treatment of pain.

The myths about hypnosis must be broken. Hypnosis is not synonymous with falling asleep or losing control or consciousness. In fact, the person is conscious at all times and improves his or her concentration. It is not possible to conduct a session without the person’s collaboration; the person has the capacity to make his or her own decisions at all times and the therapist cannot “order” the person to do something against his or her will.

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR is a method that was discovered by Francine Shapiro, an American psychologist, who found that voluntary eye movements reduced the intensity of distress from negative thoughts.

During treatment, a specific problem is identified that will be the focus of the treatment. The therapist will guide the person to process the most relevant traumatic information about the problem, while performing bilateral stimulation or eye movements, to achieve a reduction in symptoms, a change in beliefs and improved functioning in daily activities.

Brief strategic therapy

It is a therapy model that seeks to solve problems as quickly and efficiently as possible. It is a dynamic and flexible therapy, where problems, possible solutions and past attempts at solutions are identified in order to design the most appropriate intervention for each case.

At Barcelona Spine Institute, both the patient and his or her family benefit from the experience of a solid team of specialists.