At our practice based in Christchurch, New Zealand - now also available in Australia and UK as we work with clients online we attempt to find the real cause of pain, people who are in chronic pain, pain that may have been months or even years, one example of a woman who had painful knees for nearly 30 years. She now has no pain, able to go out walking every day with her husband.
Chronic Pain Is A Worldwide Problem
Unfortunately at the present time, not just in New Zealand but throughout the world the number of people suffering on a daily basis with chronic, unrelenting pain that invades every aspect of their lives, their work, relationships and most importantly their sense of self-worth and mental health, is growing.
Change to how Chronic Pain is Treated is Needed
You may need a shift from the medical model of treatment that doesn't always work, you need pain relief, ideas for pain resolution, not pain management or to learn to live with pain.
Developing that New Paradigm of Pain Management
The genesis of my theory began with a book “The Feeling Being” written by Dr Ian Hislop (1987) his aim to educate GP’s about the importance of stress and what was happening in a patient’s life when they develop an illness. I came across this book as I was doing research for my dissertation as part of my Naturopathy study in Perth, Australia.
My research comprised of twenty people, each with a maximum of six hours of treatment, with ongoing pain. I found that experiences in people lives were closely related to their pain. When emotions are acknowledged and cleared, the pain that was caused by those experiences is gone, or considerably reduced. Read about this research.
The Medical Model Of Pain Treatment And Pain Management
Today some patients are told that their bodies have a pain memory and nothing can be done, they are told that their brains create pain signals, as there is not any physical damage. People have to accept the medical explanation, modify their way of life, keeping their pain, like an unwanted lodger in their house.
In Christchurch we have Burswood Pain Management Clinic, similar to pain clinics in other countries, sometimes after finishing their time at the clinic some people may still be in pain so we would like to provide more options. If we follow this idea of a pain memory, or a neural network that has been created by your brain how can this neural network, (a reaction of your autonomic nervous system), be altered.
This below may be getting a bit technical; I hope you’re still with me.
Pain is Created by the Brain - a True Story
Here is an example of pain being created by the brain;
there is no physical reason,
no physical injury.
all medical tests show nothing wrong
A client, 63-year-old man came in with a painful lower back, so painful he had to limp to try and reduce the level of pain he was experiencing. At the time his work was a challenge, as there had been many lay offs and redundancies due to the economic situation. Everyone at work was thinking ‘who’s next?’
How was his chronic back pain resolved?
It was linked to when he was 43 years of age and his first marriage had just broken down; imagine his surprise after some emotional clearing he then walked up and down the clinic with no back pain.
The uncertainty that he was feeling about work started a chain reaction to ‘remember’ another challenging time in his life. As this was a subconscious connection created by his brain he had no awareness of the connection, but certainly happy to be pain free!
Mary's Experience - One Of Chronic Pain Research Subject
This woman was in her fifties and the final resolution of her pain was to acknowledge the hurt and misery she had felt all her life stemming from her teenage years. She became pregnant but told no one, ever. She moved to another part of the country, supported herself during the pregnancy, had her child and put it up for adoption before returning home.
Is it a Surprise she Suffered Continual Pain that Stopped her from Functioning?
When people come to our pain clinic we will help them discover their ‘pain story’ and begin to clear their personal history. As we use kinesiology muscle testing this is achieved without the need for talk therapy; such as psychology or counselling that may have already failed to make a difference to pain, or talking about emotions and trauma doesn't suit some people as it makes them uncomfortable. Online kinesiology surrogate muscle testing is used once you have shared your pain experience and how it is affecting your life and by working together we make changes
This therapy is very different from the medical model, although you get relief from physical treatment; massage, pain pills, chiropractic, acupuncture or stretching, it does not solve your pain problem, you need to clear the emotions that lead to your pain.
Although there are few of us with this mindset, trying to make a difference, during our recent lockdown I found Dr Howard Schubiner in the United States who also talks of the need to change the brain, to eliminate our pain. His talk "The Reign of Pain Lies Mainly in the Brain" makes for interesting listening click here to hear talk
There is also a lot of work being done by Professor Lorimer in Adelaide and this video gives more information about how pills and other present therapies aren't always the answer, here is the link to video
I enjoyed this video that again gives a good explanation of why chronic or persistent pain can be so confusing and why we need to be looking at the brain, the nerves and the way they build up connections to form a neural network. When you have chronic pain it's as if your brain get stuck on this highway sending often continuous pain messages that seem to be coming from you sore leg, or head or lower back giving you the sensation that you are in constant pain. Link here to another way of explaining that I particularly like click here
Want to try a natural treatment for you pain?
Research on pain of many types has shown that mindfulness and breathing can reduce pain levels. I believe this is an important way to give you some control of healing your pain, unfortunately I have clients who have been shown breathing techniques, taken courses about mindfulness and meditation but haven't experienced any change in their pain experience or improvement in their daily lives.
You need an experienced educator to teach you correct techniques
After treating pain for over 15 years using a range of natural ideas and techniques I have found that clients have made rapid improvements in reducing their pain and regaining their lifestyle when they take self-resposibilty, taking home pain modifying techniques they have practiced or expereinced during their treatment sessions. These techniques are best if they are simple and easy to use such as relaxing postures that sooth you pain - click here - or breathing techniques - click here.