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A message of hope for those with chronic pain

In many situations, it's of great benefit for one to have someone who has been through a given situation and knows what worked and what didn't work for them.  They offer a beacon of hope, a promise that just maybe things can be better in the future than at the present moment.  For chronic pain sufferers, this is a possibility.  In the past we've explored some ideas like this, including support groups and online classes that are available to us.





Today, I would like to share another mentoring option.  Leading into this, I would like to ask you if you've ever heard of a doula. Most commonly, the doula is a person hired by an expectant mother to
coach her through the labor and birthing process of pregnancy.  Taking a moment to stop and think about this--pregnancy and childbirth have been around as long as the human race.  There is plenty of experience about this for a woman to draw upon another woman's experience to get through the process.

Now that chronic pain has become a widespread problem, there is a tremendous pool of people who have been there, done that.  They, too can be a resource for those of us who have tried to deal with chronic pain, but still find it a struggle.  One such person is Becky Curtis, who suffered from chronic pain following a motor vehicle accident.  Medication was not a good option for her, according to her story in BlueRidgeNow. According to this article,  Becky's pain was controlled by medication- but the side effects caused her to be dysfunctional.  So what happened next?  

Becky attended a functional restoration program to learn how to live a functional life despite the pain she endured.  After some months time in the program, she also found a new calling...how to help other people with chronic pain. For one thing, she learned that distraction techniques were a very important pain management tool. Using techniques she learned from functional restoration and some additional research, she found a niche in the world of pain management   She created a program where she and her staff work to coach others to work through chronic pain...just as the doula coaches women through childbirth.




Becky's story is truly inspirational. It just goes to show that when life gives you lemons, you can make lemonade!  She is frequently a speaker at pain management conferences, and her business is a resource for physicians and their patients who find themselves in this difficult place.  You can explore more about Becky, her clients, and her business by clicking here.  

Sources: BlueRidgeNow; American Pregnancy.org; Take Courage Coaching; Wikimedia; Flickr
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