“Watch the Screen”: Biofeedback Can Improve Mindfulness for Chronic Pain

Chronic pain has a significant impact on the quality of lives for millions of people. Because it is resistant to traditional medical intervention, the optimal approach to chronic pain management relies on a biopsychosocial understanding of health and treatment. To date, cognitive behavioral therapy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biofeedback (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) Colo.), 2018-06, Vol.46 (1), p.15-20
Main Author: Rosenthal, Saul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of daily living
Behavior modification
Biofeedback
Biopsychosocial aspects
Chronic pain
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive therapy
Emotions
Feedback
Headaches
Intervention
Mindfulness
Pain
Pain management
Paradigms
Patients
Psychotherapy
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Summary:Chronic pain has a significant impact on the quality of lives for millions of people. Because it is resistant to traditional medical intervention, the optimal approach to chronic pain management relies on a biopsychosocial understanding of health and treatment. To date, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been the treatment of choice. However, CBT's emphasis on active control can prove counterproductive because the cognitions, behaviors, and emotions related to pain are difficult to directly confront. More recently, CBT has begun to integrate mindfulness, shifting toward paradigms of accepting sensations rather than trying to change them. This is difficult for individuals with chronic pain, who frequently spend significant resources avoiding and trying to minimize sensations. Biofeedback can be a useful tool for shaping mindfulness because it allows a focus on an external signal that in fact reflects the internal process. Over time, individuals can learn to integrate mindfulness techniques in their daily life that minimize the influence of pain, allowing them to focus on other aspects of their lives.
ISSN:1081-5937
2158-348X
DOI:10.5298/1081-5937-46.1.06