Treating the Complex Pain Patient: Addressing the Persistent Effects of Psychological Trauma with Mindfulness and Hypnosis
Suzanne Candell, PhD, LP
Format: MP3 Audio file download

A history of psychological trauma is highly correlated with poor outcomes in patients with chronic medical and dental pain. Recognizing and intervening skillfully in the dysregulated psychophysiology of trauma survivors is vital to easing the cognitive, behavioral and physical stuckness in complex patients. This session reviews the manifestations of psychophysiologic dysregulation common to trauma surviviors and integrates this information with the literature on complex pain patient characterstics and outcomes. I n addition to typical physical, emotional and behavioral signs of dysregulation, common trauma sequelae affecting the therapeutic relationship and participation with treatment teams will be identified. Participants will learn specific strategies to address trauma-related dysregulation in patients presenting with chronic medical and dental pain in medical or multidisciplinary treatment settings. Strategies focus on building patient psychophysiological awareness, tolerance and modulation skills to decrease pain, enable an adaptive pace for living, improve capacity to adhere to treatment recommedations, engage adaptively with the treatment team, and to tolerate and adaptively employ self-soothing regarding the expected ups and downs of treatment. Strategies emphasize use of hypnotic language, brief hypnotic approaches and mindfulness.