Pain is a perception engaging sensory, cognitive and emotional processes. Beliefs, expectations, fear, catastrophizing, childhood stress and trauma, and learning and memory can all modulate a patient’s pain experience. In addition, structural and functional brain changes have been identified in patients with persistent pain that may play a significant role in driving pain chronicity. This multifaceted nature of pain perception requires an equally multifaceted skill set to effectively address the therapeutic needs of patients experiencing pain.

A growing body of medical literature suggests mindfulness training is a treatment strategy that can help address the complexities of pain. Mindfulness training has been shown to reduce pain intensity and unpleasantness, decrease depression and anxiety and improve function and quality of life in patients with persistent pain. These improvements may occur through such means as improved body awareness, stress and emotional regulation, attention control and changes in perspective. In addition, mindfulness training contributes to neuroplastic brain changes including increases in prefrontal cortex and hippocampal activity and decreases in amygdala activity. Such changes can potentially help mitigate neurotoxic effects of stress in these chronic pain-associated brain regions.

This 2-day course provides you with practical, evidence-based treatment strategies to promote your patients’ abilities to self-regulate the stress reaction and self-manage pain. You will learn the science of mindfulness and pain and gain insight into how cognition, emotion and stress impact pain perception. You will practice mindful meditation, body scan and movement and learn skills to apply mindful awareness to teaching patients breathing, body awareness, exercise and the self-regulation of reactions to stress and pain. Experiential exercises help you personally experience the transformative power of mindful awareness. You will return to your clinic with the ability to explain the benefits of mindful awareness to your patients and teach mindfulness-based skills for pain relief that can help both prevent and treat chronic pain conditions. You will be able to draw on mindful listening skills to enhance your therapeutic alliance with your patients. In addition, you will learn mindful self-care practices to avoid burn-out and promote your own well-being.

Audience:

This course addresses the topic of mindfulness and pain for all specialties (and the generalist!) dealing with pain and is not limited to the pelvic rehab therapist.

Prerequisites:

None

What to bring:

Yoga mat, beach towel, or blanket