My dad was a veteran and police officer who died by suicide due to chronic pain. Veterans, police, and those struggling with pain may not have considered psychotherapy to manage their pain. A new study (June 13, JAMA Network Open, "A New Psychotherapeutic 'Gold Standard' for Chronic Pain?") found that a single course of treatment with emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET) was associated with a significantly greater reduction in chronic pain severity than cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). The study compared EAET with CBT. Two-thirds of patients who received EAET reported a 30% reduction in pain, compared with 17% of those who received CBT. Those with depression and anxiety responded more favorably to EAET. In EAET, they were asked to recall a difficult or traumatic memory, engage in experiencing how emotions feel in the body, express feelings, and let them go. This contrasts with CBT, the current gold standard for chronic pain. CBT focuses on tolerating pain through guided imagery, muscle relaxation, and exercises, and adapting thinking to change thinking about pain. The trial enrolled 126 veterans (92% men; 55% black or African American) aged 60–95 years with at least 3 months of musculoskeletal pain. More than two-thirds of individuals had a psychiatric diagnosis; one-third had PTSD. Almost all had back pain, and many had pain in multiple locations. The study demonstrated that expressing emotions is superior to the cognitive discussion of these emotions in the therapy of patients with chronic pain. #Compassionfatigue #vicarioustrauma #suicideprevention #veterans #mentalhealth #painmanagement
Great Stuff sister ! Thank You for All You Do !!
Ordained Christian Minister, Clinical Hospice Chaplain, Wedding Officiant, Bereavement Facilitator, Spiritual Director, Labyrinth Facilitator, End-of-Life Care Expert
2moAs a daughter of a 30-year combat veteran, and a Chaplain who has worked in VA and other facilities with veterans - and as a veteran myself - I will say that it is often difficult to get these men talking about their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, but once they do, a world of good can happen, healing can truly begin. I'm glad the authors of this study published such important research findings.