Unseen Battles: The Invisible Illnesses Causing Chronic Pain
In a world where appearances often dictate our perception of health, there exists a group of conditions that wage silent wars within the bodies of millions of individuals. These are the invisible illnesses, where pain resides unseen, hidden behind the veil of normalcy. Conditions such as endometriosis, fibromyalgia, arthritis, Crohn’s disease, colitis, migraines, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, […]
10 Tips for Choosing the Right Therapist or Healthcare Professional
Choosing the right therapist or healthcare professional is vital for your well-being. This guide offers valuable tips to help you make an informed decision. From identifying your needs and researching credentials to evaluating approaches and trusting your intuition, these tips will guide your personalized journey. Take the time to find the best match—it’s worth the […]
Chronic Pain, Opioid Addiction, and the Medical System: A Call for Patient-Centered Care
Chronic pain is a common and often debilitating condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including injury, illness, and genetics, and it can range from mild to severe in intensity. Unfortunately, chronic pain is often undertreated, and many people struggle to find relief from their symptoms. […]
Reflections from Liat Barzilai, a Group Facilitator
Chronic pain hurts our quality of life, and for some reason it is accepted as routine. Disrespect, indifference and impatience have become accepted responses for those dealing with chronic pain. Physical experiences become wrapped up in psychological experiences, and create a brutal entanglement, or, as LTP calls it, a “pain trap”. The pain trap affects […]
Chronic Pain: What you see is not what you get
“Look at me! Look at me!” Anyone who has spent any time with young children has heard this phrase far too many times – usually over and over at a very loud volume! From a young age, human beings seem to have an inborn need to be seen and celebrated. However, oftentimes, the second the […]
Mourning the Loss: An insight into the chronic pain experience
For many of us, the entire chronic pain experience exists within the context of great loss. The challenges of living in pain can slowly creep in and take over every aspect of our lives, forcing us to give up on everything that feels essential to who we are, from our hobbies and careers to our […]
Energy Management: How to Choose from a Place of Power
I was once in the midst of a difficult flare up that forced me into bed for a few days straight. I missed a work deadline, my sister’s graduation, and a friend’s birthday party, but I knew that, no matter how I was feeling, I could not not miss my cousin’s wedding at the end […]
You Are Not a Burden
Whether real or imagined, received from media or from interactions with people in their lives, it is not uncommon for people living with chronic pain to get the message that they are “too much” or “overly needy” and that they should really just “suck it up” and “learn to be independent.” When internalized over many […]
Chronic Pain and Intimate Relationships: A heartbreaking game of hide and seek
A well-known anonymous quote reads, “Once you accept the reality that even between the closest human beings, infinite distances continue, a wonderful relationship can grow.” As humans, building intimate relationships is one of the most difficult tasks we take on in our lives – yet we are wired to do it anyway. How can we […]
Why Starting Therapy is So Hard
My friend decided to run her first marathon in a city more than an hour away from her home. She spent the night at a hotel, so she could simply hop on one of the city’s electric scooters and glide over to the race – well-rested and stress-free. However, on marathon morning, she discovered that […]