I've made a workbook
I remember asking a client if her pain could speak what would it tell her right now? She said: “I’m winning” and when I asked her what her reply was, she said: “I’m not going to let you.”
That short exercise was a catalyst for her to get outside every day for the next week.
Flare signs
I remember taking a long walk with someone and chatting to them exclusively about their stress. We made a huge list of their stress signs. We broke these down into categories. We concluded that some stress was OK but if they ticked four boxes from each group then that was a sign that a pain flare was coming.
know your pain
An artist created a very cool image of herself with a spiky, scribbly foot. She also attached strings to the picture to show that her pain went beyond her body's boundaries. From here I set her an imagery training exercise of visualising the strings shrinking, softening and cooling whenever she applied her TENS to the neuropathic foot. After one week, she felt the pain in her foot a few times a day. After three weeks, it was once a day. After two months she felt a spasm once a week.
coping tips
I love mnemonics and I often remind people to "free their caged birds" as a way to deal with a new diagnosis or health concern. The secret is centred around agency. We need to feel in control when our body is not reliable.
And that is how the pain coaching workbook came about. Over the years I have tried a range of different exercises with a variety of people to help their pain. The ones that helped - I used with other people. I hope that my workbook can help you too ❤️