I have discussed a number of topics presented in the Back Pain Education Day sponsored by Stanford University, and specifically, topics which focused on the mind and back pain connection. Today I want to wrap it up by discussing the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) presentation by Mark Neenan, M.Ed., who is a well-known instructor of MBSR. He mentioned that to resist looking into our back pain and suffering, is like putting up road blocks on our efforts to seek pain relief. Why is that? According to Mark Neenan, doing so would “turn the volume up on the perception of pain, and actually increase the experience of suffering”.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) & Back Pain
So how can we get out of this amplified perception of pain and suffering? MBSR can be something we can practice so that we don’t catch ourselves in that vicious cycle. And before we get into what MBSR is, let’s see what mindfulness is all about, since that appears to be the cornerstone of this practice. According to Mark Neenan, mindfulness can be seen as:
- Moment to moment (in the present moment)
- Careful paying attention
- In a nonjudgmental way
Okay, so what does all that mean? On a previous blog post about the brain and pain connection, Dr. Darnall mentioned that there was research showing how we respond to physical pain, such as back pain, predicts how pain ultimately affects you. Remember the term “righteous indignation”? If you recall, it was used to describe the person’s negative feelings and thoughts toward the cause of his/her pain. Something like that “why me” and victim mentality regarding the cause of his/her pain. Bottom line, bitter feelings and thoughts about the past or fears/worries of what may happen, as it pertains to your back pain, negatively affects your prognosis of pain relief.
MBSR is a practice that can help you “turn the volume down” on the perception of back pain by teaching you to look into the pain, and “being with the experience and not resisting it so much. Looking into our emotional reactivity to it”. Focusing on the present, rather than being bitter about the past or worried about the future about your back pain, helps you take ownership of the situation (i.e., accept your pain), and ultimately, find creative solutions for pain relief. It trains you to be in control of your mind, not for your mind to control you.
According to Mark Neenan, the MBSR course he teaches is 8 weeks, meeting once a week for about 2 hours, and includes mindfulness practice, the “body scan” exercise, yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, analysis of stress, and techniques to help you relax.
Check out his video segment from the Back Pain Education Day:
There could be a location in your community that teaches MBSR. Go ahead and search for “Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction” with the area you live on your web browser, and see if you can find an MBSR training site near you. There are indications that MBSR can be one of many tools that can help you fight the battle of back pain.
