Pain Relief without Drugs

In 1989, following surgery for a back injury, Jan Sadler was left in constant pain, with no hope of any further conventional treatment and no adequate prescription drug therapy. Rather than settle for a life of chronic suffering, she gave up her career teaching English and began an investigation into the self-treatment of her pain. Building on her skills as a teacher, she incorporated the pain management techniques she discovered into programmes that would help other sufferers learn how to cope with pain and find truly effective relief from its debilitating effects. Sadler shows how we can reduce pain's grip by changing our personal reactions to the pain we are feeling. Chronic pain keeps our attention fixed firmly on our anguish, which then feeds the painful reaction back into our perception of being in pain, creating a vicious cycle. By allowing our reaction to become one of relaxation and acceptance, the pain is dramatically lessened, both by the absence of a negative perception and by the infusion of relaxation into the point of pain. In "Pain Relief Without Drugs", Sadler provides easy-to-use self-help techniques that offer support and understanding in breaking pain's cycle - from relaxation, visualisation and breathing techniques to setting goals, building self-esteem and coping with pain flare-ups. Includes 55-minute CD of author's key techniques for controlling pain.