Welcome to the continuing series Why You Should See a Pain Management Psychiatrist.  This week we’ll look at what psychological skills you can learn to decrease and cope with pain.

There are many types of relaxation exercises you can learn.  Breathing, basic relaxation and visualization all help in several ways.  They:

• help you relax and decrease anxiety
• decrease the stress response associated with pain
• help you get better sleep
• may indirectly help decrease pain

Here are several from the How to Cope with Pain website:

• breathing exercises
• relaxation exercises

Guided imagery and hypnosis, where suggestions of decreasing pain are paired with imagery, help in the same ways that relaxation exercises do.  In addition, these exercises can directly decrease pain through these suggestions.

Here are 2 examples of guided imagery exercises:

• guided imagery exercises

You can learn all of these skills and then practice them regularly on your own.  That regular practice is key!

Other articles in the series:

1. Why comprehensive treatment works better
2. Benefits of a psychiatric evaluation
3. Treatment of psychiatric symptoms
4. Using psychiatric medications for pain
5. Learning psychological skills
6. Making positive behavioral changes
7. Making positive psychological changes
8. Benefits of supportive therapy
9. Benefits of a pain support group
10. New brain-based treatments