Carl's Experience in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain

Let's go back to old aviator Carl Cooper, whose love of flying, serving and, later, teaching the tricks of the flight deck, was known to many. But lately, his battle with back

pain

has kept him steady, like an F-15 in a blizzard. The last time we saw Carl, he didn't want to go out the door, much less go back into the cabin. Most days he sat at home, careful not to aggravate his

pain

. He stopped working and living much of his life. Even his favorite visits to his nephews were few and far between. He did not know what to do.

Until Carl's doctor put him in touch with a pain specialist, Dr. Michael, who told him about a proven treatment called "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (or CBT) for Chronic Pain." Dr. Michael explained that

chronic

pain is complex and is affected by our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, which "turn up the volume" of the pain. He told Carl that CBT for

chronic

pain teaches proven skills to turn down the dial and take control. Carl liked the idea of ​​taking control, hell he's a pilot! He decided to try it. At the beginning of treatment, Dr. Michael helped Carl see how much his thoughts affect his mood, how his mood affects his behaviors, and vice versa.

Each of these pieces of the puzzle fit together to help explain Carl's

experience

of grief. Because he didn't want to be in more pain, Carl avoided activities. But staying in front of the TV or computer and feeling discouraged only made his pain worse and his back weaker. Dr. Michael helped Carl return to light activities, such as walking, to improve the strength and energy in his back. Dr. Michael then helped Carl get the things he loved back into his life. Tom returned to modeling airplanes, and now he is teaching his great-nephews his airplane-building tricks. As Carl became more active and started doing things he liked, his mood improved and he felt more confident.

Carl then learned that the stress he felt signaled the brain to produce chemicals associated with pain. Dr. Michael taught Carl skills to decrease these signals, such as deep breathing and muscle relaxation. Surprisingly, it worked. The skills helped Carl relax his body and distract his attention from the pain. He hasn't felt this calm since that vacation in Key Largo 10 years ago. They then turned to Carl's unhelpful thoughts, which worsened his mood and his sense of pain. Dr. Michael taught Carl techniques to capture and change these thoughts. Instead of thinking, "This pain is ruining my life," Carl began to think, "I can take control of my pain and my life." Wouldn't you know?

When Carl reframed how he viewed his pain, it wasn't so bad! The last part of the treatment focused on helping Carl sleep better. Tom discovered that being sleepy made him more sensitive to pain. Dr. Michael taught Carl proven sleep skills that increased his sleep from 5 to 7 hours! After 12 weeks, Carl now feels that he has better control over his pain. While he still feels pain, it no longer affects him like it did before. Best of all, Carl is back to living his life. He has even created an airplane model club and has begun grooming his great-nephews to take the yoke...in due course from him.

If he suffers from chronic pain and wants to make real changes in his life, there is effective help available. Learn more about proven treatments and how to find help at TreatmentWorksForVets.org