New insights into chronic pain and illness
But where's the evidence...???
It is well understood that stress and our emotions have a direct impact on our physiology. Evidence from over 30 years of research into the mindbody connection in health has been collated by our colleagues across the pond.
What is new, however, are emerging studies which show that we can actually reverse chronic pain and other misunderstood symptoms through applying techniques which calm the nervous system, and help us process our repressed emotions.
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For example, two studies were published in September 2021 that both independently demonstrated that a mindbody approach is a highly effective treatment for chronic back pain.
In one study carried out at Harvard Medical School, the findings showed that at 26 weeks, 64% of the patient group who underwent psychophysiologic symptom relief therapy (PSRT) reported being pain free (0/10 pain), compared with 25% and 17% in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and usual care groups, respectively.
Similarly, a study undertaken at the University of Colorado found that 33 of 50 participants (66%) who underwent 4 weeks of pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) were pain-free or nearly pain-free, compared with 10 of 51 participants (20%) given placebo treatment and 5 of 50 participants (10%) treated through usual care, with gains largely maintained through 1-year follow-up.​