Chronic Pain, Chronic Illness and Mental Health Counseling: Central Sensitization
Chronic Pain, Chronic Illness, and Mental Health Counseling
Have you ever wondered how after experiencing pain for so many years you still feel it just as strongly, or even stronger, than you did years and years ago? It seems like your pain tolerance would increase and you would “get used to it”. But it doesn’t seem that’s how the body works. That’s because it isn’t!
Pain is Processed in the Nervous System
Pain is processed in the body through the nervous system. The nervous system is made up of nerves, the spinal cord, and the brain.
Pain Is Subjective
The first thing to understand about pain is that pain is subjective. If you walk up to two people, and flick them both in the exact same place in the exact same way, they are going to feel it differently. This means that everyone’s nervous systems are analyzing and processing pain and outside stimuli differently based on each person’s life and pain experiences. Oftentimes, just like how going to the gym and using our muscles can make them stronger and more efficient, using our nervous system’s pain centers by experiencing chronic pain can make them more efficient as experiencing pain as well. So instead of increasing your pain tolerance by experiencing chronic pain, you actually become more sensitive to it. When this happens it’s called central sensitization.
Why Does Central Sensitization Occur?
Human bodies aren’t built to withstand chronic pain, they're built to really efficiently identify and heal acute pain situations. When pain becomes chronic and the body can’t find a source of the pain, the nervous system often “glitches out” trying to find a source for the pain. Suddenly everything becomes a threat as it turns its alarm system to 100 while looking for the threat that’s causing the pain. Then someone poking you can hurt, an injection that was supposed to only hurt for a day hurts for weeks and your central nervous system has become overly sensitive. Central centralization can also express itself in light sensitivity, poor concentration, anxiety, and poor short-term memory.
What Can We Do About It?
The nervous system is a very finicky system in the body. It's meant to help heal, but when it glitches out and starts doing more harm than good it can be difficult to get back on track. There are many things we can do from a counseling and mental health perspective to help calm down the system.
The Gate Control Theory
The gate control theory was first proposed in 1965 by Ronald Melzack and Patrick Wall, as they hoped to understand the subjectivity of pain. This theory gave us a great handbook on how to address pain/health from a biological, psychological, and social angle. This theory states there is a metaphorical “gate” at the top of the spinal cord/base of our skull that opens to let the pain in the brain, be processed/felt and closes to stop pain from entering the brain and being felt. Some people have this gate more open, thus feeling more pain and others have this gate more closed and feel less pain. In regards to this theory, if we were looking at the people we were flicking earlier in this blog, the person with the more open gate would feel that flick more intensely than the other person.
Opening and Closing the Gate
Below are lists of things from the book “Managing Chronic Pain: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach” that open and close this metaphorical gate according to the creators of the gate control theory. By identifying things in each of these categories with each client we can work on calming down the nervous system from a physical, cognitive, emotional, active, and social angle.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Treating Central Sensitization
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been used in many studies regarding central sensitization and it has been found consistently effective in calming down the nervous system. CBT helps people reframe their unhelpful thoughts about their pain, learn how to recognize and restructure cognitive distortions and modify toxic pain-related thoughts.
Closing Thoughts about Central Sensitization
Central sensitization does not mean that your medical condition, illness, and pain aren’t real, it just means that your nervous system has glitched out and is making things harder for you. Working with a skilled mental health professional at Chronic Hope Counseling can help you identify if you’re struggling with central sensitization and assist you in creating a personalized plan to start the process of calming down your nervous system. There are several other things that can help against central sensitization, every individual’s plan of attack is specific to them, their likes, and their personal goals.
Begin Chronic Pain Counseling in Raleigh, NC
Dealing with chronic pain can be a lonely and challenging journey full of ups and downs. Oftentimes people who experience chronic pain feel isolated and alone, but you are not alone! At Chronic Hope Counseling our skilled team of therapists has first-hand knowledge and personal understanding of chronic pain and all the trials that accompany it. We want to support and guide you on your journey to understanding and living with chronic pain in a nonjudgmental and caring environment. Follow the steps below to get started on the road to living your best life.
Get to know our team of caring therapists.
Book an appointment on our convenient contact form.
Begin your journey to emotional well-being.
Other Counseling Services Offered at Chronic Hope Counseling in North Carolina
In addition to Chronic Pain Counseling, we also offer a variety of other services that are geared toward people who exist within the world of chronic illness and pain. These include Chronic Illness Counseling, Chronic Fatigue Counseling, Long Covid Counseling, Ehlers Danlos Counseling, Family and Relationship Counseling as well as Caregiver Counseling and Support. If you are hurting, we see you and care. Reach out to us today!
Sources:
Managing Chronic Pain: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach by John D Otis
https://arthritis-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/ar2010