My concept

First, it is important to me that we create a safe and supportive environment where you feel heard, validated, comfortable, and supported. This includes active listening, sensitive and compassionate communication to build a good relationship of trust.

Part of this phase is also comprehensive and understandable information about your pain, how pain becomes chronic, which medications are used and treatment strategies for chronic pain. Depending on how much you already know about it yourself.

It is important to me that..

• .. you have or gain a good understanding of your pain condition,
• .. you know why it is so difficult to treat chronic pain,
• .. and that you know why the therapy is being done this way.

I will be happy to work with your other treating doctors to achieve this.

Nutrition

It may sound banal, but a car will not perform well with low-quality fuel, and a triathlete will not reach the finish line of an Ironman with low-quality food and inadequate hydration, right?

So how should a person with a serious illness such as chronic pain be any different if they don't eat a balanced diet? That is why we also focus on your diet from the very beginning.

But rest assured, no one wants to forbid you from eating your beloved chocolate every now and then. It depends on the overall situation.

The same goes for alcohol. Everyone knows that alcohol is harmful for your health and is an additional hurdle that your body must overcome. But I am also deeply convinced that life is not just about banning everything.

Sleep

Everyone knows how important sleep is for regeneration. Even healthy people suffer in many ways after just a few nights of poor sleep.

Since people with chronic pain often also suffer from chronic sleep problems, we will also look at your sleep hygiene.

Because if you can't get good, restful sleep, where should your body and soul get the energy to cope with the stressful state of pain?

Where will you find the energy to actively change aspects of this pain situation?

Activity

And to stick with the analogies: We know what happens when you don't use your car - nothing runs smoothly anymore.

Your body is designed to move, walk, run and dance. But understandably, all of this is often prevented by the pain you're suffering from.

No, we're not going to run a marathon or anything like that. But if you want to, why not ;-)?

However, activity is paramount for every person on this planet! In fact, it is now known that lack of exercise and inactivity are probably just as harmful as smoking or alcohol and are at least partly responsible for many serious diseases such as heart attacks and cancer.

According to the existing scientific literature, even a little exercise, however small at the beginning, improves not only your physical health but also your emotional well-being.

And I am confident that together we will find something for you too.

Mindfulness and awareness may seem like strange and esoteric activities to you. And it's true that they are widely regarded as such because of their Buddhist background, which is difficult for some to understand.

But science tells a different story. In fact, mindfulness has been scientifically studied in patients with chronic pain since the mid-80s, and the results are consistently very satisfactory. Often even better than some of the medications used.

It can certainly reduce overall pain levels, but the more striking effect is that mindfulness practitioners are often not as affected by their pain as before.

But meditation, mindfulness and awareness are not quick fixes, and like other strategies, they don't suit everyone.

They require some persistence and patience, which isn't always easy, especially if you've already been so patient for a long time. And sometimes it's not really easy to "just sit there and do nothing." I know what I'm talking about.

However, we can do it together and train it like anything else in life. I will happily introduce you slowly to these very powerful means and support you through guided and unguided meditations and other mindful activities that can be very effective and complement your overall pain management strategy.

And best of all, they are free of side effects!

Through sensitive guidance, we will work together on:

• Rediscover your self-worth: Learn to value yourself again, regardless of your physical limitations.
• Manage overwhelming emotions: Develop coping strategies to meet life's challenges.
• Develop emotional resilience: Build the ability to deal with pain-related challenges, although of course, this is much easier said than done..
• Improve your social contacts: Improve your ability to reconnect with others and rebuild supportive and fulfilling relationships.
• Cultivate a positive mindset: View challenges as opportunities for personal growth.

For some people, writing down and exploring their life stories can also be a good tool for healing and growth.

By reflecting on past experiences, recognizing patterns, and finding new meanings, you can gain valuable insights and develop new coping strategies. This approach, often referred to as narrative medicine, can be a very helpful and supportive part of your therapeutic journey.

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Phase 5 is certainly not necessary or crucial for all people with chronic pain. However, in some cases it can also be helpful to slowly and gradually transfer what you have learned in Phase 4 to your personal environment.

Role-playing, for example, offers a safe and controlled environment to practice new communication strategies.

The program can also include slow practice in the real world, where we practice your communication skills together gradually in real environments, starting with small interactions without pressure and gradually increasing in complexity.

This could mean going to your office, a conversation in the family, at work or simply going shopping.

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