Chronic Pain Management
 

Did you know that approximately 94 million Americans have a disability that prevents them from enjoying their lives to the fullest, and that 50 million report having chronic, untreatable pain, which takes an emotional toll that's often greater than the physical disability itself. That's a lot of people! That means that about 17% of us are not living as freely as we'd like to, or for that matter, as happily as we're able. That doesn't seem fair.

Living with chronic pain on a daily basis can get discouraging. Typically, we've been to a million doctors with no satisfying answers, we've tried all sorts of medications, alternative therapies, rehabilitation, and still no gains. And so eventually, we start feeling hopeless that it'll ever get better. We get down about our prospects, imagining that we'll be living the rest of our lives feeling broken.

It's common to become anxious, depressed, and even angry, and it's especially frustrating when people start suggesting that "it's all in our heads" and that we should just snap out of it. If only it were that easy!

To make things worse, chronic pain often leads to other factors that only limit our lives more. Issues like chronic fatigue, trouble maintaining restful sleep, less mobility and motivation, weight gain, and complications due to extensive medication use are all parts of the equation potentially. Add to this relationship problems with out partners and spouses, less comfort and even interest in intimacy, and difficulty keeping up with and relating to our kids or having energy to enjoy our grandchildren and we start feeling like we're living in a lonely bubble that everyone else is on the other side of.

When this happens we also start letting go of our friendships and support systems dwindle, we face unemployment and financial stresses, and we lose our ability to do things we really enjoyed before. Things at made us happy! It becomes overwhelming and depressing. And because of all the frustration we may begin to have intense mood swings and become irritable, have zero interest in taking care of ourselves, exercising, even getting out of the house. Our dependency on medications inevitably grows because it's the only way we can function and yet our families complain that we're taking too many. But what other way is there to survive?

At GoVa Counseling we understand the challenges of having chronic pain and the importance of finding a way to overcome it. Although you may not ever be completely free of pain, we are dedicated to helping you find ways to reclaim your life and your ability to be happy. We have support groups that teach methods to help your mind become free of its focus on pain so you can enjoy more of the pleasant things that are waiting for you, like the smiling faces of your niece and nephew, the fresh breeze that blows in from the ocean, or sitting down with friends for your favorite meal or pastime.

We will also help you explore the roots of your symptoms to alleviate any other factors that may be holding you back from healing completely. So whether you have undergone a physical trauma, been diagnosed with neuropathy, fibromyalgia, cancer, or have pain from origins unknown, our dedicated team is looking forward to working with you so you can find that lift in your step and the empowerment to once again take control of your life and make it all worth living! At GoVa Counseling we are committed to your happiness and together we can get you anywhere you want to go, so give us a call and come in today!