A new analogy for chronic pain I am trying out...

November 10, the green sofa

The plastic mould analogy.

** first shared in last week’s Skills Sessions (upgrade to access all resources).

The experiences you are having now are being generated by your body systems.

They are like a plastic mould, shaped by all your experiences so far.

Not set in stone. How things are now, is not how they will be.

The mould is ever-changing — your biology is ever-changing.

The type of changes determine the kinds of experiences you are having.

With chronic or persistent pain, the range of situations when you feel it can grow:

e.g./ movement, stress, tiredness, attention.

To get better means you need to warm up the mould, bring some entropy, and then let it cool into a different shape that means you have different experiences.

Better experiences — this is about making your life better, easing pain and living well.

With me?

I hope so.

How do you warm it up? Because I do not mean literally. Do not get out your hairdryer!

There are many ways.

Some of those we use include:

1. Updating your understanding of your pain — i.e./ learning (learning means the world looks different; insights are the catalysts of change)

2. Examining your beliefs and behaviours to see which are true and work (build on), and which are not (limiting — so stop)

3. Learn and practice new skills — new habits that create the conditions to get better, new ways to respond

4. Create new patterns of activity

5. Shift your perspective and direct attention towards what you want rather than what you don’t want

As I said before, through the complexity comes opportunity.

There are many, many skills and strategies to learn and use. The key is to find the ones that work for you to meet your needs.

r.s.