Grieving

I have been working with people who are experiencing grief a lot in the past year. Here are several resources that may be helpful. Restful Guided Practice This is from an article about grief by Yoga International and offers a relaxing guided meditation, lying down (this pose is called Savasana. If you are nervous about […]

A free on-line pain management program

I have been looking for a program like this for several years now. It looks really good. There are many educational video you can check out without signing up for the program. Consider enrolling into this program, “Live plan be” if you would like to set goals, work with pain questionnaires and take part in an […]

10 Step Approach To Living with Chronic Pain – A Video

This is a wonderful recording of a webinar with Dr. Serena Patterson where she describes her 10 Step approach to living with chronic pain. First time I have seen someone talk about grumpiness. Later she talks about sensitization through pain so that even wearing clothes can hurt. The section on grief is wonderful and she has a […]

50 Posts and counting

Even though I have not written a post in the last year, the 50 posts you find here are still relevant (minus 2 or 3) and I hope useful to you. It’s been nearly a year since I returned to a full-time job as a medical social worker for our local hospice. After researching and […]

A Crying Dog

A recent camping trip with my dog demonstrated beautifully how our nervous system, fight, flight, anxiety and fear work. And what we might do about it. Intending to meditate on our peaceful yurt deck, while my husband went to chat with an acquaintance, I leashed our dog (a mini Australian Shepherd) so that she would […]

Chronic Pain and Depression

Do you have depression as well as chronic pain? I just read that 50% of people with depression and physical problems never mention to their doctor that they are depressed. If that is you, here is information to help you re-consider: “Pain slows recovery from depression, and depression makes pain more difficult to treat… Worse, […]

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is one of the recommended mind-body approaches for managing chronic pain. There are some good studies suggesting significant benefit of of practicing mindfulness after just a few weeks. But what is it? I struggled recently to write a clear description. Those who think of mindfulness as a religious/spiritual concept, are missing some important and […]

You Are Not Your Pain– Book Review

This is a wonderful book if you would like to learn to approach your pain with mindfulness. This 8-week program step by step teaches you to use mindfulness to relieve pain, reduce stress, and restore well-being. ” Every Moment Is a New Chance”, the title of the first chapter is a hope-filled reminder that we can […]

A Rainbow Under My Feet

A week ago I discovered that I can not only create a rainbow when I take a shower in our outdoor shower, but I can make it pass right under my feet. I’ve hardly used my indoor shower all year (with year-round mild temperatures), but this was a new experience. With the sun just so, […]

Managing chronic pain more that half a lifetime– Part two

Interview with Juanda Lee De Shazer, Part two I recently interviewed a dear acquaintance of mine, Juanda now in her 91st year, about how she has coped with her chronic pain all these years. Here is part 2 of our conversation. [NOTE: After reading the interview notes, Juanda, who loves to write added a part three: talking about […]

91 years and still laughing and learning

An Interview with Juanda Lee De Shazer Recently I visited Juanda to interview her about how she has coped with her chronic pain all these years. At age 91, she has had chronic pain for more than half her life time. Here is part 1 of what we talked about. Juanda greeted me with a […]

On Journaling

Christina Baldwin has been teaching people how to journal for the past 30 plus years. Her interview on Sounds True makes interesting points about how helpful journaling can be to people who have been thrown out of their “life stories” through illness or a loss. In fact she says that almost all the people she […]

Sleep and chronic pain news

Sleep impairments are a stronger and more reliable predictor of pain than pain is of sleep impairments. Insomnia is an important topic for pain management and I found three good sources today. Check out the info graphic below and read on for tips and helpful info. Pain and sleep: a preventable cycle “When pain becomes […]

Playing with visual art

Does the phrase living in color appeal to your artistic heart? Perhaps you have dabbled in painting, collage, or other colorful endeavors in the past but have not done much lately? Would you like to do more artistic things, but don’t have the inspiration, or feel you “could never do that”? If you like to […]