The Pain and Joy of Rehab
Every therapist knows about the pain of Rehab. Pain is the number one cause of therapy refusals and is also the number one cause of why the patient sought medical assistance in the first place. Not only are these facts true but frequently the therapist is accused of being the cause of the patient's pain. How well therapists understand pain and all its ramifications will assist patients in understanding, overcoming or accepting their own pain.
Areas covered in this seminar will include the impact of medications on pain, good and bad pain, how individual response to pain differs and how pain can be a gift. Questions and theories about pain have been around for hundreds of years. Put pain into an internet search engine and you will get more than 630,000,000 entries.
Pain relief doesn't have to be a pill. There are many methods of pain reduction, pain remediation, acceptance of pain, and understanding pain. A pain-free life, or even a pain-free stay in Rehab is probably unrealistic. But treatment remedies, understanding and acceptance are all within the realm of possibility.
Having no pain and excruciating pain are merely points on a continuum. The same is true of joy and sorrow. When combined as intersecting continuums, it is easy to see the relationship between the two and the opportunity for us as therapists to utilize both parameters.
Adding joy to the perception and understanding of pain may seem far reaching to some. The research, however, cannot be ignored, that outlook plays an important role in the ability to achieve functional goals. Joy has many labels: delight, happiness, pleasure, bliss, ecstasy, elation and thrill. Its basic essence is that of seeing pleasure around us and incorporating the components of happy, peaceful experiences into our lives.
Many rehab areas, whether they are Rehab Centers, outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, acute hospitals, or patients homes, are devoid of joy. There is significant evidence that laughter and humor increases natural endorphins which improve healing and functional performance. How well therapists understand pain with all of its ramifications and joy with its many implications will have a lasting impact on patients.