Overview
Here is an approach to living with chronic pain unlike any you’ve seen before, one that breaks through pain to help you live the rich and full life you deserve. Based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), one of the most promising and fastest growing psychotherapies in use today, this book breaks with conventional notions of pain management, the traditional “feel good” approaches—including the use of pain-killing medication—that work to prevent painful sensations.
But the ACT approach to living with pain is different. It helps you recognize pain as an event in your life that doesn’t need to interfere with the way you live. In fact, attempts to avoid pain can often cause more harm than good, both to your body and to your peace of mind. By accepting and learning to live with pain, you can limit the control it exerts over your life. Mindfulness exercises, in particular, can help you transform pain from a life-defining preoccupation to a simple experience. From this strong position, you can make choices that will lead you to the life you’ve always wanted. Committed action is the way to make it happen.
Use this step-by-step program to:
- Discover why painkillers are not the answer
- Clarify what you value and how you want to live your life
- Stop your thoughts from holding you back
- Develop mindfulness skills to keep pain in perspective
- Commit to meaningful actions that lead to richer, more fulfilling experiences
Synopsis
IN BRIEF
Using mindfulness-based techniques and cognitive behavioral tools, a leading expert on the use of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) teaches readers to transcend the experience of chronic pain by reconnecting with other, more valued aspects of their lives.
Editorials
From the Publisher
“Chronic pain is like a weed that can take over the landscape of your life if you let it. Yet, it doesn’t have to be this way. This remarkable and beautifully written book offers a fresh approach to a life defined by chronic pain and its management. Readers will learn how to get out of a life consumed with pain and pain management and back into a life where pain takes a backseat. This book, filled with many well-crafted examples and exercises, will teach you skills that will help you learn to be with your pain and live a vital life. You will learn how to bring compassion and acceptance to your pain and hurt while engaging in actions that you care deeply about. This book is a vital resource for those suffering from chronic pain, their loved ones, and professionals who work to help people who are stuck and suffering in a cycle of pain and misery.”—John P. Forsyth, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and faculty director of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program, State University of New York at Albany