This week’s Psychology Update along with the Psychology Website of the Week and Psychology Resource Ted Talk of the Week focuses on the mysterious distressing problem of pain and pain management.   These articles can be used in conjunction with the chapters on Nervous System, Positive and Health Psychology, and Psychotherapy.

One of the articles in this series focuses on the role of Psychology in the treatment of pain.   It is best to read all of the articles, however Psychology students may want to understand how the field integrates as a specialty in the treatment teams.

ARTICLE #1

TITLE

THE PAIN BRAIN

DESCRIPTION

FROM THE ARTICLE:

“Millions of Americans are living with chronic pain. A quiet revolution in research and treatment is finding new ways to help them heal.

The key to solving chronic pain, experts say, is to break the complex interplay of physical and psychological triggers, known as the pain cycle.”

Here is a listing of each article presented in this incredible resource.

•The Quiet Scientific Revolution That May Solve Chronic Pain  by David Hobbs

•How Psychologists Can Help Treat Chronic Pain  by Sushma Subramanian

•I Have to Believe This Book Cured My Pain  by Juno DeMelo

•Burning, Crushing, Stabbing: How Words Affect Pain  by Cameron Walker

•How to Exercise With Chronic Pain  by Gretchen Reynolds

•Treating Chronic Pain Takes a Team. I Had to Build My Own  by Kari Cobham

SOURCE

All of these articles are part of a special New York Times, November 9, 2021 feature.

This feature will be a wonderful resource for the Psychology student.

LINK TO RESOURCE

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/well/chronic-pain.html?smid=em-share

(Tiny URL)  https://tinyurl.com/4w9k329e

===========================================

One of the articles in this series focuses on the role of Psychology in the treatment of pain.   It is best to read all of the articles, however Psychology students may want to understand how the field integrates as a specialty in the treatment teams.

ARTICLE #2

TITLE

How Psychologists Can Help Treat Chronic Pain

DESCRIPTION

This is an extremely important article regarding chronic pain!  The article points out that pain-killing medications have serious problems and side effects and do not always take care of the problem.  As it turns out, pain treatment programs can offer long term relief working as well as or better than opioid medications.  “Psychologists, therapists and social workers have quietly become a crucial part of pain treatment programs, proving to be as effective or more so than medication. In 2018, the medical journal The Lancet went so far as to recommend education and psychological treatment as first-line interventions for chronic low back pain, before pharmacological treatment.”  The article provides details of research and various programs that will genuinely help with chronic pain issues.  The article also provides links to online pain management (without medications) programs and recommendations for types of therapists.

Students interested in this type of Psychology, should look into training programs in order to become practitioners of pain management.

SOURCE

New York Times, November 9, 2021,  By Sushma Subramanian

LINK TO RESOURCE

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/09/well/mind/psychologists-chronic-pain-therapy.html?smid=em-share

(Tiny URL)  https://tinyurl.com/23eze376

===================================================

CLASS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (FOR ALL OF THE ARTICLES ON CHRONIC  PAIN)

•How is pain defined?   Please differentiate “emotional pain” from “physical pain”.

•What are the psychological sequelae of each?

•How do the long term effects of chronic pain differ from acute pain?

•Psychologists are often part of pain management teams, what is the role of the psychologist?

•What are some of the interventions and techniques used and recommended by psychologists to help their clients COPE?

•Generally, what are the problems of using opioids for the treatment of chronic pain?

•Discuss the various non-medication types of programs to treat chronic pain?

•What does a pain Psychologist do?

•Would you consider a career as a specialist treating chronic pain clients?