Introduction
Chronic pain is associated with the pain behaviors that cannot be comprehensively explained from the biomedical perspective. Pain is a psychophysiological unpleasant sensory and perceptual experience provoked by injury or diseases (Talaei, Labbaf, Tabatabayi, & Barekatain, 2015). Chronic pain experience involves the perception of the unpleasant physical stimuli as well as the interpretation of the sensations of pain and evaluation of the experience as one that creates suffering. This means that chronic pain imposes physical, emotional, and sociological stress on individuals. The relationship between the emotional, physical, and sociological factors appears causal rather than simply correlational. In the past years, studies such as one conducted by Talaei et al. (2015) have focused on the effects of psychological variables in influencing the way patients perceive their experiences with chronic pain. In particular, a research on patients with musculoskeletal pain indicates that psychological constructs such as self-compassion, acceptance, and self-efficacy are linked with objective and positive outcomes in pain management (Wren et al., 2012). From the study findings, research on chronic pain management highlights the significance of self-compassion besides biomedical interventions.
Self-Compassion
Self-compassion refers to the ability of an individual to positively and objectively respond to difficulties associated with the chronic pain experience rather than responding from a criticism point (Neff & Dahm, 2015). It entails qualities such as kindness to self and mindfulness under the challenging circumstances to help in adjusting to the chronic pain experience. Self-kindness relates to an individual being supportive towards self. instead of belittling self, the individual actually encourages self in the challenging circumstances. Mindfulness entails an individual embracing self with compassion rather than being swept away by negative self-perceptions. According to Keng, Smoski, and Robins (2011), mindfulness is an antidote that is effective against psychological distress such as fear, which entails maladaptive tendencies to focus on distressing thoughts. From the analysis of chronic pain, the emotional, physical, and sociological aspects of pain experience can arouse distressing thoughts that may lead to the individual undermining self because of the level of physical incapacitation or sociological pressure brought about by the expensive pain management medical interventions.
Chronic Pain and Cognitive Functioning
Chronic pain experiences can lead to the impairment of cognitive functioning. The psychophysiological aspect of the pain experience leads to the diversion of network resources towards attending to pain and also alters neuroplasticity thus impairing the cognitive functioning (Moriarty, McGuire, & Finn, 2011). Cognitive impairment affects attention as well as executive cognitive functioning. Study findings on dementia patients indicate that the presence of pain and the severity of cognitive impairment are related to negative emotional experiences (Lee, McConnell, Knafl, & Algase, 2015). This means emotional expressions relate to the manner in which an individual perceives the pain experience considering that the self-reported pain is linked with cognitive impairment. Individuals with chronic pain will, therefore, lack a psychological environment upon which they can develop positive emotional expressions. Based on this analysis, studies have investigated the potential benefits of using the psychological path in chronic pain management. According to a study that sought to investigate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of different treatment approaches in pain management, 527 patients experiencing chronic pain were grouped into and assigned to different groups that feature the use of self-hypnosis and self-care, physiotherapy, and psycho-education. The study findings indicate that the group that was assigned to the self-care group showed significant outcomes in pain management, depression, anxiety, and quality of life (Vanhaudenhuyse et al., 2015). The study findings present the evidence in support of the psychological approach, specifically oriented to the use of self-care in which self-compassion prominently features.
Self-compassion is associated with positive psychological elements that are useful when one experiences pain which may trigger negative emotions. In many cases, negative experiences associated with chronic pain may make individuals feel isolated and thus would feel that their struggle is by far worse than what other people are going through. It is for this reason that individuals need to be more perspective in relation to the pain experiences. Several studies conducted by Leary, Tate, Adams, Allen, and Hancock (2007) investigating how individuals with self-compassion handle the negative thoughts in which individuals were asked to report difficulties they had in relation to negative life events, indicated that the individuals with high self-compassion were more perspective about their problems and did not feel isolated by them. The reason was because self-compassion helped the individuals interpret or perceive the negative experiences in a more positive light than the individuals in the control group.
Summary
Chronic pain is an experience that affects the physical and psychological welfare of an individual. The physical aspects alter the neuropathology of the body and shift neurological resources towards the pain. This means that an individual experiencing chronic pain is in most cases overwhelmed by the thoughts of the condition which subsumes any possibility of expressing positive emotions. Looking at self-compassion reveals that self-criticism and lack of emotional safety are detrimental in pain management. Self-compassion is an aspect of hope and one of objectivity and emotional safety needed to turn the emotions of the individual toward the pain experience with mindfulness (Neff & Dahm, 2015). This means that instead of looking at the impossibilities and challenges of the pain experience, the individual focuses on the possibilities of easing the pain or observing care practices.
References
Keng, S. L., Smoski, M. J., & Robins, C. J. (2011). Effects of mindfulness on psychological health: A review of empirical studies. Clinical psychology review, 31(6), 1041-1056.
Leary, M. R., Tate, E. B., Adams, C. E., Allen, A. B., & Hancock, J. (2007). Self-Compassion and Reactions to Unpleasant Self-Relevant Events: The Implications of Treating Oneself Kindly. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92(5), 887- 904.
Lee, K. H., McConnell, E. S., Knafl, G. J., & Algase, D. L. (2015). Pain and Psychological Well‐Being among People with Dementia in Long‐Term Care. Pain Medicine, 16(6), 1083-1089.
Moriarty, O., McGuire, B. E., & Finn, D. P. (2011). The effect of pain on cognitive function: a review of clinical and preclinical research. Progress in Neurobiology, 93(3), 385-404.
Neff, K. D., & Dahm, K. A. (2015). Self-Compassion: What It Is, What It Does, and How It Relates To Mindfulness. In B. D. Ostafin, M. D. Robinson, and B. P. Meier (Eds.), Handbook of Mindfulness and Self-Regulation (pp. 121-137). New York: Springer.
Talaei, S., Labbaf, H., Tabatabayi, S. A. N., & Barekatain, M. (2015). Psychological Experiences of Patients with Chronic Pain: A Qualitative Study. International Journal of Health System and Disaster Management, 3(1), 8-14.
Vanhaudenhuyse, A., Gillet, A., Malaise, N., Salamun, I., Barsics, C., Grosdent, S., Maquet, D., Nyssen, A.S. & Faymonville, M. E. (2015). Efficacy and cost‐effectiveness: A study of different treatment approaches in a tertiary pain centre. European Journal of Pain, 19(10), 1437-1446.
Wren, A. A., Somers, T. J., Wright, M. A., Goetz, M. C., Leary, M. R., Fras, A. M., Huh, B. K., Rogers, L. L. & Keefe, F. J. (2012). Self-compassion in patients with persistent musculoskeletal pain: relationship of self-compassion to adjustment to persistent pain. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 43(4), 759-770.
