Pain Behavioral Medicine
Behavioral medicine, often referred to as “Mind-body Medicine”, is a field of study that recognizes the behavioral, social, spiritual and emotional aspects of illness, health and healing. Our interventions are integrated into the comprehensive care that patients receive in the Pain, Spine and Rehabilitation services in the Ambulatory Care Center at Wells Avenue. Our behavioral medicine specialists help patients with chronic pain and other debilitating medical problems recover their physical functioning, reduce their emotional suffering and restore their healthy relationships.
A behavioral medicine assessment is a personalized review of the patient’s unique challenges and meaningful goals. The patient is then offered a variety of treatments that may include individual skills training, classes for stress, pain and symptom management, and group-based therapies for reducing isolation and enhancing relationships. Mind-body coping strategies taught to patients may include combinations of self-hypnosis, meditation, guided imagery, diaphragmatic breathing, cognitive reframing, problem-solving. These strategies are typically included in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT).
Patients who benefit from these behavioral medicine interventions will describe having moved from a state of “just existing” with their suffering to a place where they are now able to “live and thrive” despite their persistent pain and impairments.