chronic pain is a lived experience
This is an important way to think about chronic pain.
The person is living the experience of chronic pain. There is a quality to that experience: what is it like? What is it like to be you in this moment?
We can only find out by asking and then being deeply present to listen.
It is the lived experience that together we seek to change for the better.
Helping the person, perhaps you, to create a more positive future, step by step.
Importantly, by focusing on this step now, which is creating that future to come.
Involving the people
Pain patients (aka people) now speak at some pain meetings and conferences to share their experiences.
Vital.
Why?
Because scientific work is only worthwhile if it makes a difference to people’s lived experiences. That’s its purpose.
The scientists and clinicians need to understand the people they serve.
Yes. We serve those people.
So those people should be in the room.
For collaboration.
For on-going hope.
And we can be ever so hopeful.
Three people share their unique lived experience
My recent Encourager podcast guests have generously shared their unique lived experience and how they now help others.
- Nerita Lewis: Winston Churchill Fellow, ex-Australian Air Force – listen
- Charles Balcombe: Founder of Paind – listen
- Virginia McIntyre: President of the People in Pain Network – listen
I hope you are encouraged and inspired by their stories and work.
The People’s Pain Revolution
We are seeing changes because of the demands of the people.
The biomedical model continues to predominate in healthcare. But this way of working does not help people suffering chronic pain or any other chronic illness.
People are realising the limitations of the biomedical model and are demanding better answers. Rightly so.
More complete models exist that consider the person, their life, culture and society, beliefs, expectations, past experiences, gender and more. All are part of the pain experience. None of these key elements of pain are part of the biomedical model. It is like trying to make a cake with just an egg.
Contemporary whole-person (and person first) models are offering a way forwards (eg/ predictive processing, biopsychosocial).
The policy makers, the funders and the decision makers need to listen. The data is there and gathering. The experiences are there.
Bottom up transformation.
On we go with our work to help the world understand pain. And help individuals ease and overcome their suffering.
We can.
We must.
Thoughts?
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🔥 I am Richmond. I help you understand, ease and overcome your chronic pain, and to live your life.
🔥 And mentor the clinicians/therapists who help people who are suffering.
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