Can you control chronic pain with your mind?

For some, everyday life can result in familiar aches and pains. Hours spent sitting in front of a computer screen, doing work around the house, and handling the stresses of life can take a toll on the intricate workings of the musculoskeletal system.

Many people experience one or more of the following types of pain at some point in their lives:

• Migraine/headache pain
• Back pain
• Joint/arthritis pain
• Overuse/strain injuries
• Arm/leg/musculoskeletal pain

Over-the-counter pain medications and heat or cold treatments can provide relief for occasional pain. But when your headache, backache, or muscular pain continues or recurs for at least three months, you have what’s known as chronic pain, and it can seriously disrupt your life.

In 2021, more than 51 million adults in the United States experienced chronic pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), That’s more than one-fifth of all adults in the country.

In addition to the causes of pain listed above, chronic pain can stem from diseases such as arthritis or cancer. And some chronic pain cases have no clear cause.

You may not have to live with chronic pain, though. Talk to your healthcare provider (HCP)about treatments that could help, such as physical therapy, stretching or muscle-strengthening exercises, massage therapy, and other non-pharmaceutical options.

Some experts also assert that rather than masking or tolerating it, you may be able to learn how to stop chronic pain by regulating your body with the power of your mind.

How do mind-body interventions work?

Experts who study the interaction between the mind and body argue that you may have more power over your pain than you realize. Here’s how.

Your brain and central nervous system are connected and constantly talk to each other, sending and receiving signals such as pain messages. Typically, these messages result from injury or illness. Once an injury is healed, these messages generally stop being transmitted. Mind-body interventions are based on the idea that this messaging system can break down, causing miscommunication between the mind and body.

When pain messaging systems break down, constant or chronic pain messages may be sent even after the original cause of the pain is fully healed. Pain treatment programs that use mind-body interventions help interrupt these pain messages and reestablish healthy communication along the nerve paths to the brain.

You do have control over pain

Over the past few decades, a wealth of research has confirmed that mind-body therapies, either alone or with other treatments, may help control various types of pain and help prevent pain recurrence. Techniques that were once considered complementary or alternative have now become mainstream methods for treating chronic pain.

These methods include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
• Biofeedback
• Guided/visual imagery
• Hypnosis
• Mindfulness-based stress reduction
• Meditative movement practices (like tai chi, qi gong, and yoga)
• Meditation
• Relaxation therapy
• Distraction (keeping the mind busy to reduce the experience of pain)
• Redirecting thoughts (managing expectations and anticipation of pain)

A 2020 systematic review published in Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that research has demonstrated the usefulness of various mind-body interventions in the management of different types of pain, including chronic low back pain and fibromyalgia. In fact, researchers found that in addition to exercise, rehabilitation, acupuncture, and massage, mind-body practices consistently helped improve pain and/or function.

And according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), mind-body techniques have been helpful in relieving pain from irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis, knee osteoarthritis, neck pain, migraine or tension-type headaches, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Your chronic pain: What's mixing up the messages?

Feelings of anxiety, tension, anger, or depression could cause a disconnect between your mind and body. When your brain is frequently forced to respond to such emotions, it essentially rewires itself to keep up with the barrage of negative stimuli. As a result, your brain may send pain messages to your body.

Pain psychologists are very involved in studying this relationship between the mind and body. In a 2020 review published in the Scandinavian Journal of Pain, researchers summarized the main tenets and latest developments in pain psychology. These include the fear and avoidance model (FAM), which suggests that pain-related fear and catastrophizing can contribute to chronic pain. Fear isn’t the only emotion that can help perpetuate pain—any unregulated emotion, like anger, can do it, too.

With mind-body intervention, the first step is to examine your emotions, thought patterns, behaviors, and environment with a healthcare provider or therapist to identify factors that may be causing the pain reaction. The next step is to develop more productive ways to handle the stressors you face each day so you have more control over your physiological response to these emotions. Depending on your condition, this process may take only a few weeks or may become a regular part of your health routine.

Approach with caution

Whether you are recovering from illness, injury, or surgery or are unsure what's causing your pain, do some homework before you dive into this pain therapy. First, check with your HCP to rule out the possibility of a more serious condition. Then, get advice on reputable practitioners, pain psychologists, and mind-body treatment centers available in your area. Also, be aware that not all are covered by health insurance, so cost may be a consideration.