I started going to psychotherapy sessions at the recommendation of my physical therapists. At physical therapy, they guided me through some visualizations and breath work exercises, which can be helpful for those with an over active nervous system. These type of exercises are continued at my psychotherapy sessions, where I also get traditional counseling that addresses many of my fears and anger issues regarding my nerve pain. It’s been studied that individuals with chronic pain are likely to experience symptoms of depression as well (1).

Tension and stress that are held in the body can easily manifest as painful symptoms. One way of relieving that stress, without creating more, is to have a safe environment where you can vocalize your worries. I procrastinated paying for therapy for the longest time, and choose it work out my problems with my friends and family. Not only was this a drain on my relationships, but it can also caused additional stress when my friends and family were unable to handle or understand what I was going through. I eventually went to Dina Bernat-Kunin, LCSW. (Disclaimer: This is not a paid promotion, I’m merely providing one of the many resources I use to improve my health)

In conclusion, I’ve personally benefited from the whole body approach. You all know how important nutrition is to my healing process, but it is only one part of the puzzle. Having chronic pain definitely requires mental fortitude, which is why getting a professional to help you be stronger mentally can be just as helpful for your recovery as getting a physical therapist to help with your physical strength.

1. Ohayon MM, Shatzberg AF. Using chronic pain to predict depressive morbidity in the general population. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2003;60:39–47. [PubMed]