How to maintain mental health during physical pain
When you're in great physical pain, either from an accident or a chronic condition, it consumes all thought, driving even the most emotionally stable person to their limits. Never mind painkillers, what are some strategies to put aside the pain and prevent falling into a depression?
Answers ( 3 )
I had a student once who told me this story: years before he'd been in a bad motorcycle accident that broke nearly every bone in his body. He was in a coma for some months, and when he woke up he wished he was back in a coma. The pain was intense and every part of his body hurt. He was on morphine until his doctor said that would kill him unless they stopped it. So he had to cope with it. He said that what worked for him in the end was not to try to avoid feeling the pain but to focus on it, completely immersing himself in it until some neural pathways in his brain "learned" to just divert those signals to some sort of "nerve junkyard". That was his explanation, anyway.
I have no idea if this would work for anyone else, or even if his story was true; but he seemed unusually sane and "centered" and I was convinced. My speculation is that this may only work for general agony; if just one body part is in intense pain, one's attention is likely to avoid that part, which makes it impossible to "focus on it".
the man in question i.e. the one in the accident is precisely correct it is the way of things in life and death. but it is a very difficult disipline... i know i use it meself. for my illness i had a terrible case of pneumonia took me 2 months in hospital im disabled now but am now going to try to work pt if my gp agrees. and thus serve mankind as im supposed to do. but it wont be easy... u seem very wise for someone ive never met. i reckon u will know this when u continue to listen and gather your knowlede u will have all the power you require in existance... hope that is useful 2 u.
Coming from someone who understands chronic pain, I found that doing some type of art when I do not feel well, keeps me from thinking about the pain, even for a few moments. I try to keep the crafts to a simplistic task. I have adult coloring books and a large assortment of pens and colored pencils. I also have blank journals that I can draw in when I'm feeling anxious from the discomfort. Crosswords and books are close by when I cannot get comfortable enough to color. I spread out my crafts in different areas around my home so I can engage in something other than my pain.