Living Beyond Your Pain: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Ease Chronic Pain - Softcover

Dahl PhD, JoAnne; Lundgren MS, Tobias

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1572244097 ISBN 13: 9781572244092

Publisher: New Harbinger Publications, 2006

Synopsis

Here is an approach to living with chronic pain unlike any you’ve seen before, one that breaks through pain to help you live the rich and full life you deserve. Based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), one of the most promising and fastest growing psychotherapies in use today, this book breaks with conventional notions of pain management, the traditional “feel good” approaches—including the use of pain-killing medication—that work to prevent painful sensations.

But the ACT approach to living with pain is different. It helps you recognize pain as an event in your life that doesn’t need to interfere with the way you live. In fact, attempts to avoid pain can often cause more harm than good, both to your body and to your peace of mind. By accepting and learning to live with pain, you can limit the control it exerts over your life. Mindfulness exercises, in particular, can help you transform pain from a life-defining preoccupation to a simple experience. From this strong position, you can make choices that will lead you to the life you’ve always wanted. Committed action is the way to make it happen.

Use this step-by-step program to:

•Discover why painkillers are not the answer
•Clarify what you value and how you want to live your life
•Stop your thoughts from holding you back
•Develop mindfulness skills to keep pain in perspective
•Commit to meaningful actions that lead to richer, more fulfilling experiences

About this title

About the Authors

JoAnne Dahl, PhD, is professor of psychology at Uppsala University, Sweden. JoAnne is a clinical psychologist specializing in behavior medicine. She is coauthor of the The Art and Science of Valuing in Psychotherapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain, Living Beyond Your Pain, and ACT and RFT in Relationships.


Tobias Lundgren, MS, is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in cognitive behavior therapy and ACT. He is an active clinician and a researcher in the areas of behavior medicine, psychometrics, and self-destructive behavior. Lundgren is affiliated with the psychology department at the University of Uppsala in Sweden, and has conducted research in many developing countries.

Steven C. Hayes, PhD, is Nevada Foundation Professor in the department of psychology at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has been president of numerous professional organizations, and is author of nearly fifty books and more than 700 articles and book chapters. Hayes is originator and codeveloper of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), a powerful therapy method that is useful in a wide variety of areas.

Edition details

• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1572244097
• ISBN 13: 9781572244092
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 192