We generally assume that when something hurts, the pain is
caused by a real biological event -- a wound, an infection, a
sprain. But this isn’t always the case. For instance, consider the
dramatic example of phantom limb pain, in which people experience
sensations -- most often pain -- in an arm or leg that has been
amputated. It’s puzzling... and oddly fascinating... all the more
so now that neuroscientists have discovered that they can use
mirrors (in a complicated arrangement) to trick the brain into
"seeing" the missing limb as present -- and that doing so causes
the pain to stop! Recently I read about a new effort in which UK
scientists have started to develop simpler tricks that people with
any kind of pain can do themselves -- no mirrors needed (no drugs
either) -- to "fool" their brains into perceiving less pain. It
involves simply touching your own body in a certain way. It sounds
so appealing -- does it really work?
THE BRAIN’S POINT OF VIEW
We will have to wait awhile to see published results on this
research, but I didn’t want to wait to learn more about something
that sounded so simple, promising and safe! I placed a call to pain
psychologist Beth Darnall, PhD, at the Oregon Health & Science
University, to ask her opinion on the idea of using your own touch
to control pain.
Dr. Darnall told me that this works because of a process that
scientists call "brain signaling." An ample body of research has
shown that often the brain does not distinguish between what is
real (that you can see and touch) and what it
justbelieves to be true based on experience.
Furthermore, she said, research shows that just thinking negatively
about pain can create biochemical changes that show up in MRI brain
scans when areas associated with pain light up. In other words,
people can literally grow their pain through their thoughts -- so
it also makes sense, Dr. Darnall says, that people can use their
brains to banish it.
MIND OVER PAIN
So what can we do with this intriguing research finding?
Here’s Dr. Darnall’s advice on how to put it to use right
now...
The first step is to become aware of the extent to which
chronic pain
triggersanxiety and catastrophic
thinking (chronic thoughts and feelings of helplessness
and doom). This increases stress and worsens pain, so it is crucial
to establish ways to calm and center your body and mind --
otherwise you’ll be "at the mercy of anything in the environment,
including your own body," said Dr. Darnall. She suggested that a
type of counseling called cognitive behavior therapy can be a good
way to learn how to eliminate anxiety and catastrophic thinking,
noting that studies show that such therapy actually can change
-- physically change -- the neural networks of
the brain and make them healthier.
As far as the self-touch method for pain relief, Dr. Darnall
told me about a technique she developed called "bilateral tactile
stimulation" that you can learn to use on yourself for pain relief
-- though it’s important to start with a practitioner in order to
experience how it is properly
done. Note: Psychotherapists trained in either
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) or Emotional
Freedom Technique (EFT) are the ones most likely to be familiar
with this technique.
How it works: Sitting in front of the client,
the therapist leads him/her through a guided visualization or
deep-relaxation exercise while lightly and rapidly tapping one side
and then the other of (for example) the back of the knees or hands
-- a place that is easy to reach and comfortable but not the
painful spot. This is done for one to three minutes. According to
Dr. Darnall, this works to reduce pain in the following
ways...
- Tapping while also doing a guided
visualization seems to help patients encode positive images,
feelings and thoughts more quickly.
- In turn, this helps put a stop to
the cycle of pain, stress and the body’s inflammatory response by
keeping the brain from focusing on helplessness and how much it
hurts.
- Lastly, this technique can help
deepen the relaxation response, thereby releasing the muscle
tension that pain causes and, with it, the pain itself. In other
words, the tapping helps to encode and anchor information in the
brain, including the information that the patient is fully relaxed
and pain-free.
THE AT-HOME VERSION
Once you are familiar with the process and feel ready to try
it on yourself, Dr. Darnall suggests an at-home process to
follow:
- Sit or lie down in a comfortable
position. Because it is crucial to feel calm before using this
technique, listen to a relaxation-response CD (many are available
online and at health-food stores), meditate or do some
diaphragmatic breathing to first get centered.
- Once you are relaxed and calm, focus
on envisioning positive images. Create an image of yourself hurting
less and functioning better. Concentrate on how good it feels to
move without pain... to experience joy... or to accomplish goals
you set for yourself.
- Now, alternating one side of the
body and the other, tap your knees, legs or upper arms -- whatever
location you have chosen where you can easily reach and you have
sensation (no numbness). Using the opposite hand (e.g., left hand
on right knee, right hand on left knee), tap at a rate of two or
three taps per second, all the while continuing your positive
imagery, as described above. Start with sessions of about three
minutes, and gradually add more time in later sessions if you
wish.
As you become more practiced at this simple pain-relief
technique, Dr. Darnall suggested trying to expand your vision of
yourself, creating new visualizations where you picture yourself
moving more easily around your life, pain-free, exercising and
engaging in other activities you enjoy. Keep tapping as you do
this... consider it a source of positive energy that you can "tap"
at any time you wish!