Post by Lady~RavenHeart on Aug 28, 2005 13:54:07 GMT 2
Patients with fibromyalgia may experience difficulty fulfilling work and social obligations because of poor symptom control. This difficulty can lead to social isolation and feelings of decreased self-efficacy. Collaborative care between your health care providers may provide optimal benefits for you. Pain perception is an extremely complex phenomenon that may be modified by experience. Several behaviour science approaches appear to hold benefit for fibromyalgia:
Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy
This type of therapy combines cognitive therapy – which can modify or eliminate thought patterns contribution to your symptoms – and behavioural therapy, which aims to help you change any behaviour that may contribute to your symptoms. It is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the important role of thinking in how you feel and what you do. According to the National Association of Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy, when our brains are healthy, it is our thinking that causes us to feel and act the way we do. Thus, if we are going through stressful situations or experiencing destructive feelings and behaviours, it is vital to identify the importance that the mind has in causing the feelings and behaviours. By identifying the destructive thoughts you can learn how to replace them with thoughts that lead to more desirable reactions.
Cognitive-behaviour therapy has been proven effective for reducing sleep disturbances perpetuated by underlying factors common among fibromyalgia sufferers such as conditioned bedtime arousal, erratic sleep/wake scheduling, and spending too much time in bed. A program of 20 hours of relaxation response training and movement therapy in treating patients with low back pain included 28 patients with fibromyalgia. Patients who completed the program reported reduced pain and other symptoms, as well as improved function and general health. Combining cognitive-behaviour therapy with other treatment options such as physical fitness training may be even more effective. A recent study showed that fibromyalgia sufferers showed much less impairment in their daily lives after a taking part in a program that combined behaviour strategies, physical exercise, relaxation and information about chronic pain.
Hypnosis
Studies have shown that hypnosis may improve functioning and reduce pain even more than physical therapy.
Relaxation Therapy
The pain and symptoms of fibromyalgia can produce significant stress to the body, making it very hard for some individuals to cope. Effective stress management programs help to alleviate this stress including: watsu, breathing exercises, yoga, tai chi, progressive relaxation, guided imagery and autogenic training. Most of these techniques can be practiced on your own at home and usually only require some initial training.
Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy
This type of therapy combines cognitive therapy – which can modify or eliminate thought patterns contribution to your symptoms – and behavioural therapy, which aims to help you change any behaviour that may contribute to your symptoms. It is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the important role of thinking in how you feel and what you do. According to the National Association of Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy, when our brains are healthy, it is our thinking that causes us to feel and act the way we do. Thus, if we are going through stressful situations or experiencing destructive feelings and behaviours, it is vital to identify the importance that the mind has in causing the feelings and behaviours. By identifying the destructive thoughts you can learn how to replace them with thoughts that lead to more desirable reactions.
Cognitive-behaviour therapy has been proven effective for reducing sleep disturbances perpetuated by underlying factors common among fibromyalgia sufferers such as conditioned bedtime arousal, erratic sleep/wake scheduling, and spending too much time in bed. A program of 20 hours of relaxation response training and movement therapy in treating patients with low back pain included 28 patients with fibromyalgia. Patients who completed the program reported reduced pain and other symptoms, as well as improved function and general health. Combining cognitive-behaviour therapy with other treatment options such as physical fitness training may be even more effective. A recent study showed that fibromyalgia sufferers showed much less impairment in their daily lives after a taking part in a program that combined behaviour strategies, physical exercise, relaxation and information about chronic pain.
Hypnosis
Studies have shown that hypnosis may improve functioning and reduce pain even more than physical therapy.
Relaxation Therapy
The pain and symptoms of fibromyalgia can produce significant stress to the body, making it very hard for some individuals to cope. Effective stress management programs help to alleviate this stress including: watsu, breathing exercises, yoga, tai chi, progressive relaxation, guided imagery and autogenic training. Most of these techniques can be practiced on your own at home and usually only require some initial training.
