By Millions of people who suffer from chronic pain may often feel like they are all alone. That goes even for those who are married or in committed relationships. The stress that is brought on by the chronic pain can not only damage the relationship, but it can lead to both parties feeling alone and misunderstood. It is often difficult for the person not experiencing the pain to have a thorough understanding of what their partner may be experiencing.
Living with chronic pain often has a negative impact on one’s life quality. Many people may become withdrawn, not deal with their emotions in a healthy way, or even have the stress and frustrations associated with missing work or not being able to do the things they want to do when they want to do them. Many people seek professional help for the person who is experiencing the chronic pain, but that overlooks the importance of the team relationship in tackling the pain, and it leaves the other person in the dark when it comes to dealing with their feelings about what is happening in the relationship.
This has made some scientists wonder if having a couples-based therapy program would be beneficial for those who are suffering from chronic pain. In the February 2018 issue of the journal Cognitive and Behavioral Practices, researchers shared their findings from a study conducted on a couples-based therapy approach to addressing chronic pain (1).
The program that they created is called “Mindful Living and Relating.” The goal of the program is to alleviate pain and suffering by promoting couples’ psychological and relational flexibility skills. The goal was to address the idea that there are no programs that fully harness the power of the couple so that they can both develop a greater psychological and relational flexibility so that they can help to improve the health of their partner.
The intervention with the couples focused on mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based exercises. The program also sought to help couples remain fully mindful and to respond empathically. The results of this study showed that healthy coping with a sufferer’s chronic pain and the stress that is related to it is more successful when their partner is involved and is supportive and when both people use psychological flexibility skills when interacting.
This information is important for couples who is experiencing difficulty or stress in their relationship due to one of them having chronic pain. Couples therapy may be an effective route to not only improving their relationship but to also helping to tackle the chronic pain itself.
Source:
1. Cognitive and Behavioral Practices. A couples-based psychological treatment for chronic pain and relationship distress. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29497271
