It is not unusual for chronic medical problems, including pain, to cause significant distress or difficulties for patients in social and occupational settings or in other important areas of their lives. Emotional factors can also contribute to the onset, severity, or worsening of pain and other medical problems.  Sometimes psychological or behavioral factors can interfere with medical treatment or adversely affect a medical condition. Such factors may include:

• Intense feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, or extreme passivity as part of a person's response to a chronic condition
  
• Excessive nervousness or worry about physical concerns leading to avoidance of or non-compliance with medical treatment
  
• Panic in response to discussion about injury, trauma or medical procedures, or anger directed at medical staff, self, or family
  
• Significant life stresses (e.g. grief over recent loss of significant other, crises such as separation, divorce, or lack of family support) resulting in emotional problems that may or may not be related to a medical condition

When any of these or other emotional factors interfere with treatment, it may be helpful to address them in a therapeutic setting such as that offered by our psychologists at the Emory Pain Management Center. Our approach employs behavioral and cognitive coping skills that often help an individual regain a sense of control over factors that have felt unmanageable. 

Treatment plans for those experiencing pain and anxiety typically include instruction in relaxation skills that use biofeedback as an aid. Biofeedback measures a physiological function, such as muscle tension. This measurement provides information that can be used to assist a person to develop valuable, effective pain or anxiety coping techniques such as relaxation.

Our psychologists utilize counseling, and instruction in these technique, whenever it is appropriate, to help each individual enhance and improve coping skills.