Tool 1

Understanding pain so that we do not fear it. Reduced feelings of threat will reduce the activation of our sympathetic nervous system, our fear and flight system. Pain will then be reduced.

1. Knowing that when you are hurting, it does not necessarily mean that you are damaging yourself.
2. Knowing that because the ways the nervous system and other factors change, you can be confident that persistent pain does not necessarily reflect the condition of your tissues.
3. Knowing that we have a powerful internal pain control system. Messages from the brain in the form of realistic, positive claming thoughts allow a flood of pain reducing chemicals to come down from the brain and quiet the upcoming signals of pain.

Tool 2

Correct breathing (deep, abdominal breathing) as a habit.

Tool 3

Allowing your muscles to drift away from their bones to their rightful place where they are not kept tight without much possibility for proper oxygen, nutrition and ability to get rid of their waste products. Move 'softly' rather than 'stiffly'.


Tool 4

Knowing that your nervous system does not want you to do anything more than gradually increase your activity levels. This is called pacing yourself. Knowing that movement is a benefit for the tissues.

1. Find your baseline. A baseline (eg. walking for 3 minutes) is that amount of the activity that you can do and know that the pain will not flare up. A flare up is that increase in pain that leaves you debilitated for hours or days.
2. Gradually increase your activity, ie. by one minute.
3. Knowing that because the nervous system is so sensitive, flare ups may be difficult to avoid. Please, do not give up. Be patient and try again.
4. Know that you will benefit from pursuing activities you enjoy. This may sound simple, but if you have had pain for a long time you know how complex this is. Please, keep trying.

Tool 5

Learning to reduce the negative things we say to ourselves that create our fear, sadness and anger we can assist in the reduction of the corresponding muscle tension and that would reduce pain.

Tool 6

Visualisation, ie. a peaceful scenery, your healing process, something to look forward too.

Tool 7

Taking medication on a time contingent basis. Liaising with skilled, caring health professionals.

Research shows the above methods work.