Recovia is built around a Functional Restoration Program (FRP) that has five primary disciplines. Each discipline is designed to help individuals suffering from chronic pain overcome their illness and obtain overall physical health. The five disciplines are Behavioral Medicine, Physical Therapy, Pain Medication Management, Interventional Pain Management, and Lifestyle Counseling. Although all are important and necessary in a whole body approach, one of the primary disciplines incorporated in the program is Behavioral Medicine.
So what exactly is Behavioral Medicine and how can it help someone suffering from Chronic Pain? Behavioral medicine combines medicine and psychology and is focused on how the mind is related to physical health. Behavioral medicine is not merely health psychology, although it does incorporate aspects of it. It mainly includes psychological therapies, the end goal focusing on the healing of the body rather than preventing injury or illness. This goal of remedying the body can greatly affect chronic pain as psychological barriers can often impact the ability to heal.
Individuals suffering from chronic pain are often suffering in more ways than just physically. Their physical pain gets the best of them and then their mental state can start to deteriorate, causing emotional stress for not only them, but also their families. When the overall wellness of the body is impacted by chronic pain, the whole body needs to be treated for it, not just the physical. Psychological care is often thought of last, or even skipped entirely in treating an injury or detox patient. This is one of many errors made when attempting to treat chronic pain, however, if not overlooked there can be many benefits to incorporating behavioral medicine in a treatment plan. In order to start the process of healing, various types of therapies are available including those such as cognitive therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). At Recovia, our focus is generally through the use of EMDR therapy.
EMDR is a unique treatment in that it requires specialized training by the Clinical Psychologist conducting the sessions. This therapy is used to help patients process traumatic pain in a healthier way. While this is a newer and nontraditional form of psychotherapy, EMDR appears to have a direct effect on how the brain processes information and is showing great success in helping patients overcome traumatic experiences limiting their ability to heal.
There are eight phases that an individual travels through when undergoing EMDR therapy.
Phase 1: History and Treatment-This is usually unraveling the specific issues that have brought the individual into treatment.
Phase 2: Preparation-This stage prepares the patient for responding to emotional distress during the therapy program.
Phase 3: Assessment- In this phase the Clinical Psychologist typically asks the individual for a specific image, a negative belief, and a positive belief.
Phase 4: Desensitization- The patient is asked to focus on the negative and disturbing belief. The psychologist will check in and assess the various levels of disturbance and how best to digest them.
Phase 5: Installation Level- This focuses on the positive belief and how to accept that as full truth.
Phase 6: Body Scan- The purpose of this phase is to get the individual to focus on the original target and determine if there is still any physical tension in the body.
Phase 7: Closure- This was developed to ensure that at the end of every session the patient is feeling somewhat better and less negative than when they arrived.
Phase 8: Reevaluation- Each new session begins with a reevaluation of how the patient is doing and responding to the therapy. This stage is vital in determining the success of the treatment. Although patients may feel great right away following treatment, it is important that they continue and complete all eight stages.
As mentioned previously, this is just one of the forms of behavioral medicine used at Recovia. Because we are a functional flex-care program, we can alter all aspects of the program to each individual’s needs and interests. Recognizing the need for mental healing and training the brain to use mental coping skills can provide patients will the daily tools to overcome pain and emotional trauma. If an EMDR session sounds right for you please contact Recovia for a consultation and we can provide additional information.
Recovia is a functional flex-care program that aims to maximize recovery for individuals suffering from chronic pain, injury, or dependency. The mission is to provide a compassionate, comprehensive, cost effective, and individualized functional rehabilitation program. For more information, please contact us at 480-712-4600 or visit our information page.
The advice and information provided herein is for educational purposes only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites.
