The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) recently revised their definition of pain to

“An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage.”

 

Let’s unpack that! 

It’s pretty clear they just described an unhappy love story. That bad emotional experience is potentially caused by tissue damage (but not necessarily). The IASP did the hard work.  They reframed the definition of pain. They expanded the meaning of pain to include physical, emotional, and mental experiences.  We should dig into this.  But first -- let’s get some science out of the way.

Take a look at this video 

I love videos that explain complex topics to kids.  This one does a beautiful job of explaining the science of pain and then moving a little beyond to describe chronic pain and how pain goes beyond the physical. 

Because It’s not just physical.

The ISAP gave permission for us to ‘understand’ our own love story. Our own pain experience in all its facets. I call pain a love story for a few reasons.  The more I kept thinking about it, the more I would find parallels in how we talk about chronic pain and relationships. 

1. Whether a short- or long-term relationship (i.e. 1 date vs the 6+ month commitment), we have all met pain and have chosen a way to interact with it.  We ignore it, complain about it, work with it, work in spite of it, use it as an excuse, use it for motivation … .
   

2. We look for it when it’s gone, and wonder if it’s coming back.
   

3. We seek help to work through our relationship with pain – we look for support, advice, reassurance, open ears, and welcoming shoulders.
   

4. We sometimes “miss” it when it’s gone and been a part of our lives for a long time.

This redefinition also encourages us to consider many different options to tackle our pain relationships and find relief.  Many people go through their lives experiencing pain, persistent and temporary. Almost 21% of the U.S. population—51.6 million adults—live with chronic pain, defined as pain lasting more than three months. (www.uspainfoundation.org)

Right here, in the Pain Playbook, we are going to take a look at what’s out there.  Maybe find a resource you didn’t know existed, or maybe uncover a new way to manage your own pain experience.  This is a conversation, so please share resources and ideas. Or even blog topic requests.  This is our community to grow.

 thepainplaybook@gmail.com