Not all chronic pain is unrelenting 24/7, even if it often feels that way. For many of us who qualify for a CP diagnosis, there are periods of having little or no pain. If you feel that does not apply to you, please hold an open mind that it may in fact be a possibility.
I am curious about those times. What is happening when pain is not present for a few minutes, hours, days, weeks?
Almost 30 years ago I gave a woman a massage at the chiropractic office where I worked. She got up off the table and had no pain- the first time in years. Yet it did not work the next time, and she never came back. After one of my first guided imagery sessions my client’s pain was gone. My pain management clients often told me that their pain disappeared (or at least diminished), during guided relaxation sessions. My own pain condition went from chronic to intermittent to just overwork/poor posture pain (after 25+ years, and after I was done with menopause- why I cannot tell you, yoga, working less? But this website offers my best bets).
I am thinking about this topic because I just returned from a trip. I slept in 7 different beds, carried suitcases, sat 10 hours in a plane, walked more than normal on pavement and did not work on the computer- I also did not do my dance classes or yoga. Just a few years ago, I would have had serious back pain during the trip, this time I had less pain than at home.
Almost the opposite: the first time I had several pain-free weeks was about 10 years ago. I was working with a PT (physical therapist) once again for my lower back pain. He examined me and said that the disc herniation I had had years earlier was completely healed up (no surgery was done) and I did not need to be careful of any movements any longer. So I went back to my very taxing modern dance class at the time- 2x week, and an invigorating yoga class 2x week with new confidence and energy, and my pain disappeared. Things and schedules change- teachers leave, and with less vigorous work-outs pain crept back into my life.
The whole chronic pain thing is pretty mysterious, or let’s say complex. So many variables play together, physical, mental, brain chemistry, previous experiences and expectations, work postures and stress. The whole definition of CP speaks to the impossibility to relate the pain to a cause in a straight line. Of course our minds try to figure something out, drawing all kinds of conclusions and correlations. Some of these may be totally erroneous ( leading to habits and routines that may actually not help us- akin to wishful thinking), others may be spot-on and good ways to help us manage our pain. Those are the ones worth discovering.
Questions: When does your pain abate? What activities- or rest, what mental states, with whom, what time of day or day of the week influence your pain?
It does not need to be a trip away from home to break cycles and habits. But then again, if you fear to travel and have to, a trip may offer new insights and experiences.
Noticing when pain is better or not present is important. Celebrate, write it down. Our minds naturally focus on the negative and dangerous, and may NOT remember more pleasant times. Let’s train ourselves to pay attention and encourage these pain-free times.