Resources
Use these helpful self-management tools to help take control
Relaxation and movement exercises to do
Skills to learn
General
Read these books/guides
Read my articles
Watch and listen (videos and podcasts)
Find a pain psychologist
Find a pain rehabilitation program
Please review and compare programs before attending - not all programs are the same. Interdisciplinary programs based on the biopsychosocial model with an emphasis on self-management are the gold standard. Learn more about interdisciplinary treatment and read about my experience at the Mayo Clinic.
In the U.S.
Outside the U.S.
Australia
Download these apps - many are free!
Get the news
Hear the latest (podcasts)
Listen/read/watch my interviews
Visit these sites
Read these blogs
Connect with people
Use these templates/forms
Play to win
Have a laugh (some of my favorite video clips)
Relaxation and movement exercises to do
- 5 of the best exercises you can ever do
- Audio Meditation - Visualize your Pain (9:54)
- Guided Imagery for Pain Relief (9:55)
- Guided Imagery Practice For Pain (9:43)
- Mindful Breathing (Mayo Clinic)
- Mindfulness Bell - A 5 Minute Mindfulness Meditation (5:24)
- Mindfulness exercises
- Mindfulness for Physical Pain
- Passive Muscle Relaxation (37:28)
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation to Manage Anxiety and Stress (15:00)
- Sleepy Time Sensation (YouTube channel of soothing sounds)
- Tai Chi Chih - Joy Through Movement (50:08)
- Yoga For Chronic Pain | Yoga With Adriene (25:33)
Skills to learn
General
- 50 ways to live well, despite pain (my paper)
- Control what you can control (my paper)
- Self-Management of Chronic Pain
- Tips for better sleep (my paper)
- Tips for people living with chronic pain - add your suggestions to the bulletin board (my project)
- Tools for recovery – Plan for Flare ups (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- Self Management (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
- Hopping Off the Pain Merry-go-round (my article)
- Pain and Me: Tamar Pincus talks about chronic pain, acceptance, and commitment (3:06)
- Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain: Patient Guidebook (Department of Veteran's Affairs)
- Cognitive Restructuring Worksheet
- DIM SIM Therapy
- Doing What Matters in Times of Stress: An Illustrated Guide
- How Cognitive Control Can Boost Well-Being
- How to Stop Your Pain with Your Mind
- Managing Chronic Pain: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach
- Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress
- Protectometer- DIMs & SIMs (10:54)
- Replacement Thought Examples
- Top 10 Ways to Reduce Anxiety
- How To Use CBT Thought Records To Change The Way You Feel
- What is CBT?
- Activity Pacing
- Activity pacing: moving beyond taking breaks and slowing down
- Chronic pain self-management: Pacing and goal setting
- Goal Setting for Pain Rehabilitation
- Pacing For Pain
- Pacing – how to manage your pain and stay active
- The role of avoidance, pacing, and other activity patterns in chronic pain
- Tools for recovery – Boom or bust vs pacing (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- What Goals Have You Set Recently? (my blog post)
- 10 Habits of Highly Resilient People
- How to Build Resilience and Boost Your Mental Health
- What Chronic Pain Has Taught Me About Resilience - Dr. Trung Ngo (16:49)
- 13 Most Popular Gratitude Exercises & Activities
- The importance of forgiveness and gratitude (my blog post)
- How to Forgive in Six Steps
- 13 Most Popular Gratitude Exercises & Activities
- A Grateful Day with Brother David Steindl-Rast (5:22)
- The power of forgiveness (3:28)
- How to Forgive Someone Who Traumatized You
- Your 5-day gratitude challenge: 5 exercises to increase your gratefulness
- How to Move Patients from Passive Management to Active Self-Management (my article)
- 12 Reasons To Be Happier - Dr. Amit Sood, Mayo Clinic (5:05)
- Anger management: 10 tips to tame your temper
- Breathe to Heal | Max Strom | TEDxCapeMay (18:32)
- How to Humor Your Stress | Loretta LaRoche | TEDxNewBedford (20:50)
- Lift up your everyday with Occupational Therapy (OT) Life Hacks
- Neuroscience shows listening to music has kind of the same effect as meditation
- Self-Compassion Guided Practices and Exercises
- Supported Self-Management—From a Lived Experience Perspective
- Use mindfulness to cope with chronic pain
- Understanding The Difference Between Pain and Suffering
- When Chronic Pain Leads to Chronic Anger
Read these books/guides
- Back in Control - Dr. David Hanscom (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- Chronic Pain Rehabilitation: Active pain management that helps you get back to the life you love - Evan Parks (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- Chronic Pain Won't Stop Me: Tools to Make the Most of Life, Despite Chronic Pain - Tom Bowen (my free e-book) - highly recommend!
- Living Well with Chronic Pain - U.S. Pain Foundation (free e-book)
- Living well with pain - Ben Cormack (free e-book)
- Mayo Clinic Guide to Fibromyalgia - Mayo Clinic
- Mayo Clinic Guide to Pain Relief, Second Edition - Mayo Clinic
- Navigating Pain - New Zealand Pain Society (free e-book)
- Nothing To Fear. Just A Noise In My Ear. - Tom Bowen (my free tinnitus e-book for children)
- Pain Guide - University of Michigan Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center (free digital guide)
- Pain Management Guide Book - The Honest Physio (free e-book)
- Pain Toolkit - Pete Moore
- Restoring Venus: A Journey from Chronic Pain to Possibilities - Amy Eicher (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- Stories of Hope: For those who want to learn to live well with pain - Amy Eicher (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- The Chronic Pain and Illness Workbook for Teens - Dr. Rachel Zoffness (Chronic Pain Champions Member)
- The Explain Pain Handbook Protectometer - Dr. David Butler and Professor Lorimer Moseley
- The Mayo Clinic Guide to Pain Relief - DVD Course - Mayo Clinic
- The Pain-Free Mindset – 7 Steps to Taking Control & Overcoming Chronic Pain - Dr. Deepak Ravindran
- The Pain Survival Guide: How to Reclaim Your Life - Dr. Dennis Turk & Dr. Frits Winter
- The Painful Truth: The new science of why we hurt and how we can heal - Dr. Monty Lyman
- The Pain Management Workbook - Dr. Rachel Zoffness (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- Unlearn Your Pain - Dr. Howard Schubiner
Read my articles
- How to Move Patients from Passive Management to Active Self-Management
- A Letter to Pain Providers: 10 Do and Don’t Tips from a Chronic Pain Patient
- We Have a Chronic Pain Problem, Not a Prescription Opioid Problem
- Are You Missing Two-Thirds of Your Potential Pain Treatment Plan?
- Five things I wish I knew earlier in my journey with chronic pain
- Hopping Off the Pain Merry-go-round
- My Time at the Mayo Clinic Pain Rehabilitation Center
- Stop Whining and More No-Nonsense Tips from a Chronic Pain Champion
- Living With Chronic Pain: ‘Suffering Is a Choice, and I Choose Not to Suffer’ (GoodRX article about my experience)
Watch and listen (videos and podcasts)
- Central Sensitization Syndrome (CSS) - Dr. Christopher Sletten (22:19)
- Chronic Pain: A New Perspective | Georgie Oldfield | TEDxUniversityofManchester (18:06)
- Chronic Pain - Is it All in Their Head? - Dr. Daniel J. Clauw (1:54:18)
- Dr. Rachel Zoffness on the Science of Pain: Myths, Truths, and Understanding - Finding Mastery (1:05:44)
- Chronic Pain Management – Non-drug therapies - Dr. Daniel Clauw (18:59)
- Compass Opioid Stewardship - Learning to Champion Chronic Pain
- Dolorology (PAIN) with Rachel Zoffness (1:34)
- Getting a Grip on Pain and the Brain - Lorimer Moseley (40:41)
- Let's Talk About Pain - Dr. Andrea Furlan (a series of informative videos)
- Making Sense of Disabling Back Pain - Peter O’Sullivan Koadlow Lecture 2021 (1:30:29)
- Overcoming fear of movement in osteoarthritis - Joint Action Podcast (44:03)
- Pain and Me: Tamar Pincus talks about chronic pain, acceptance, and commitment (3:06)
- Pain Rehabilitation Center: Mayo Clinic Radio (9:44)
- Pain, the Brain and Your Amazing Protectometer - Lorimer Moseley (1:23:09)
- Pain Psychologist Dr. Rachel Zoffness - Radically Genuine Podcast (1:03:19)
- Protectometer- DIMs & SIMs (10:54)
- Tame the Beast – It's time to rethink persistent pain - Lorimer Mosely (5:00)
- The BEST WAYS To Heal Chronic Pain & Trauma WITHOUT Medication | Howard Schubiner
- The Hardest Pill to Swallow | Tracy Jackson | TEDxNashville (18:44)
- The Truth About Managing Chronic Pain (w/Dr. Rachel Zoffness) - ZDoggMD (1:39:10)
- Treating Pain Using the Brain - David Butler (1:15)
- Understanding pain & what to do about it in less than 5 minutes - VA (5:00)
- Unlocking the Medicine Box in Your Mind - Dr. Beth Darnall (37:42)
- What Chronic Pain Has Taught Me About Resilience - Dr. Trung Ngo (16:49)
- TEDxAdelaide - Lorimer Moseley - Why Things Hurt (14:32)
Find a pain psychologist
- American Association of Pain Psychology - offers a search feature to connect with a pain psychologist
- Psychology Today - offers a search feature to connect with a psychologist
Find a pain rehabilitation program
Please review and compare programs before attending - not all programs are the same. Interdisciplinary programs based on the biopsychosocial model with an emphasis on self-management are the gold standard. Learn more about interdisciplinary treatment and read about my experience at the Mayo Clinic.
In the U.S.
- Brooks Pain Rehabilitation Program - Florida
- Cleveland Clinic Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program - Ohio
- Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Functional Restoration Program - New Hampshire
- Functional Restoration Program at Ochsner Baptist - New Orleans
- John Hopkins Pain Treatment Center - Maryland (interdisciplinary)
- Mary Free Bed Pain Rehabilitation Program - Michigan (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- Mayo Clinic Pain Rehabilitation Center - Minnesota, Florida, Arizona (interdisciplinary) the program I attended - highly recommend!
- MUSC Health Pain Rehabilitation Program - South Carolina
- Nebraska Medicine Chronic Pain Management Program - Nebraska
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab - Illinois
- Stanford Pain Rehabilitation Program - California
- University of Toledo Pain Rehabilitation - Ohio
Outside the U.S.
Australia
- Painaustralia - listing of pain therapies, programs, and resources
- Albury Wodonga Health Chronic Pain Management Program
- Mt Wilga Private Rehabilitation Hospital
- Bath Centre for Pain Services
- Guys and St Thomas' Pain Management and Neuromodulation Centre
- Manchester Pain Service
- Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital UK Pain Management & Active Back Programmes
- St George Chronic Pain Self-Management Pain Service
Download these apps - many are free!
- 1step2life (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- Aivo (Free - Android/IOS)
- Bellybio (Free - IOS)
- Breath2Relax (Free - Android/IOS)
- Breathly (Free - Android/IOS)
- Calm
- Curable
- Headspace
- iBreathe (Free- IOS)
- Mindfulness Bell (Free - Android/IOS)
- Mindshift CBT (Free - Android/IOS)
- My Health Story
- Smiling Mind (Free - Android/IOS)
- The Breathing App (Free - Android/IOS)
- UCLA Mindful App (Free - Android/IOS)
Get the news
- Pain News Network
- Practical Pain Management (I'm a patient advocate on the Practical Pain Management Editorial Board)
- Relief: Pain Research News, Insights, and Ideas (IASP Pain Research Forum)
- Science Daily Pain Control News
- Stat
Hear the latest (podcasts)
- Airing Pain
- Back in Control (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- Compass Opioid Stewardship (produced for clinicians, but useful information for patients, too)
- Courage for Pain (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- Empowered Beyond Pain
- Feel Better. Live More.
- Joint Action
- Modern Pain Care
- Pain Reframed
- Radically Genuine Podcast
- The 15 Minute Pain Experience (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- The Knowledge Exchange (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- ZDOGG MD
Listen/read/watch my interviews
- Book Plug - Chronic Pain Won't Stop Me (Part of Footsteps Festival 2021)
- Compass Opioid Stewardship - Learning to Champion Chronic Pain
- Good Rx
- Modern Pain Care interview (Podcast episode with Dr. Mark Kargela about my experience)
- Pain Toolkit
- The 15 Minute Pain Experience (The Chronic Pain Experience)
- The 15 Minute Pain Experience (Community for the win)
- The Knowledge Exchange
Visit these sites
- American Chronic Pain Association
- American Migraine Foundation
- American Sleep Association
- American Tinnitus Association
- Australian Pain Management Association
- Back in Control
- British Pain Society
- Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center (University of Michigan)
- Chronic Pain Ireland
- Compass Opioid Stewardship Program
- Flippin’ Pain
- Institute for Chronic Pain
- My Live Well with Pain
- National Fibromyalgia Association
- Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network (University of Michigan)
- Oregon Pain Management Commission
- Osteoarthritis/Arthritis Association
- Pain Guide (University of Michigan)
- Retrain Pain
- Start Your Recovery
- Tame the Beast
- The Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy
- U.S. Pain Foundation
- US Association for the Study of Pain
Read these blogs
- 1step2life blog (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- Back in Control blog (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- Chronic Pain Champions blog (check out the archives and categories from the home page)
- Healthskills blog (written primarily for clinicians, but useful information)
- Institute for Chronic Pain Coping with Pain Series
Connect with people
- Adelaide Pain Support Network Facebook group (Adelaide, Australia)
- Attitude of Gratitude With Chronic Pain Facebook group
- American Chronic Pain Association local support groups
- Chronic Pain Champions – No Whining Allowed Facebook group (my group)- highly recommend!
- Exploring Pain: Research & Meaning Facebook group (geared more to clinicians and pain science but open to patients)
- Journaling Through Pain Facebook group (Chronic Pain Champions member)
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- Opioid, Gabapentinoid, Antidepressant Tapering Support Group Facebook group
- Pain Reframed Facebook group (geared more to clinicians and pain science but open to patients)
- People in Pain Network local support groups (Canada)
- The Knowledge Exchange Facebook group (geared more to clinicians and pain science but open to patients - Chronic Pain Champions member)
Use these templates/forms
Play to win
- Chronic Pain Champion word search (think how each word applies to your pain journey and how you can champion pain) Online version /Print version
- Chronic Pain Champion bingo (mark boxes as you complete them each day or use a reminder of tools you can use to manage pain)
Have a laugh (some of my favorite video clips)
- Airplane Classic Scenes
- Back to School - Professor Terguson Loses It Scene
- Chippendales Audition - SNL
- Fire Marshall Bill at Magic Show
- Funny signs, headlines, and more (my video)
- Homes for Every Homebuyer: Trolls - Realtor.com®
- Monty Python Olympics
- More Cowbell - SNL
- Weird Al" Yankovic - Fat
- Weird Al Yankovic - Gotta Boogie (audio only)
- Weird Al" Yankovic - Like A Surgeon
- Weird Al" Yankovic - Living With A Hernia
- Weird Al" Yankovic - Perform This Way
- Weird Al" Yankovic - Smells Like Nirvana
- Weird Al" Yankovic - Wanna be Your Lover
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©2023
Chronic Pain Champions, LLC
All rights reserved.
For personal, non-commercial use.
©2023
Chronic Pain Champions, LLC
All rights reserved.
For personal, non-commercial use.