Meditation/Imagery/Relaxation Resources?

[facetguy]

For those patients who lay awake, unable to sleep, because they are "thinking about their pain constantly", do you recommend any particular relaxation techniques?

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[lonelobo]

Jack(-minus coke)

 

[pmrmd]

A glass or two of a nice malbec.

 

[Jcm800]

For those patients who lay awake, unable to sleep, because they are "thinking about their pain constantly", do you recommend any particular relaxation techniques?

yes. i instruct them to read your posts. It works for me. i am out like a light mid sentence...

 

[facetguy]

yes. i instruct them to read your posts. It works for me. i am out like a light mid sentence...

As if all of a sudden you're:

"I don't always get epidurals, but when I do it's Jcm800."

 

[clubdeac]

progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery. Then again they'll probably just want some valium or soma

 

[facetguy]

progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery. Then again they'll probably just want some valium or soma

It's interesting you mention Valium. The patient that got me thinking about this recently had had a problem with Valium a couple years ago (had been prescribed after a surgery), so he is very resistant to taking it (or most anything for that matter) these days. So as he described how he lays awake unable to turn his mind away from his pain, I thought he might be a good candidate for some type of relaxation technique.

Do you refer patients to someone to teach them these techniques, or do you give them a handout, or (getting back to my original question) do you have any other useful resources?

 

[Ducttape]

Almost all my patients get introduced to the concept of behavioral medicine therapy at the time of presentation.

Statements like that prompt a referral to a pain psychologist.

 

[kstarm]

For those patients who lay awake, unable to sleep, because they are "thinking about their pain constantly", do you recommend any particular relaxation techniques?

You need a good pain psych person, and even better would be someone with some interest in sleep as well. Hypnosis can be helpful for these patients to reset the circadian rhythm, which often gets disrupted with chronic pain. They come in, do a session with psych, and the provider then makes a tape for them to use at home. The nice part is that it can be tailored to fit whatever nuances are particularily affecting the patient. If other mental health issues are present these can be addressed to. As the sleep improves, (and other mental health issues if applicable improve) the patient starts moving forward.