What You’ll Learn

• An overview of the components of the neurophysiological nature of chronic pain
  • Polyvagal Theory and the autonomic nervous system
  • The central nervous system
  • Brain-body communication within a one nervous system model
  • The role of inflammation – A common root of chronic mental and physical disease states
  • The modulating function of oxytocin and vasopressin
• Clinical mental and physical manifestations of sustained threat
• The role of trauma/childhood adversity in creating chronic pain
• Principles of treatment – creating safety
  • Addressing the addictive nature of anger
  • The power of social connection
  • The doctor/patient relationship and the necessity of listening
  • Forgiveness – the dividing line between misery and healing – you can’t move forward until you let go.
  • The potency of play
• Putting it into action – The Tools
  • Education
  • Clinical biofeedback/breathing techniques
  • Expressive writing
  • No discussing pain, complaining, giving unsolicited advice, criticism, or gossiping – be nice!!
  • Leveraging neuroplasticity to create a new vision and future
  • Connecting to a spiritual journey
  • Calming the mind
  • Forgiveness as a learned skill. The only way to take your life back.

The Need

Chronic pain is a disease state that is generally considered one to be managed, not solved. There is tremendous frustration amongst clinicians in treating chronic pain because results are often poor, patients are angry and the costs to society are crippling, but the last ten years of research have revealed many new answers that have not been implemented in clinical care, until now. The science now shows a new pathway to a powerful shift from the structural model of chronic pain to one based on addressing core neurophysiology. The information in this course will also be relevant to mental health professionals for addressing emotional pain, which is effectively treated by this new multi-dimensional framework and approach.

The Science

Acute pain is a protective evolutionary mechanism in the service of survival. There is nothing useful about chronic pain. When pain becomes chronic it is less about structural, nerve or tissue damage and more about the central and autonomic nervous system’s sustained hypervigilant state to support defense. Emerging research points us in the direction of the “one nervous system” model as being the key to resolving chronic pain.

When we are chronically under a physiological state of threat (chronic pain, life demands, unresolved traumas, etc.), our survival response activates the central and autonomic nervous system that creates a vicious cycle of inflammation and sensitization of the body. This is coupled with the synergistic mental effects of depression, anxiety, anger, hopelessness and the maintenance of chronic pain. Polyvagal Theory, being at the center of the threat cascade, provides a unifying strategy for chronic pain sufferers to recruit innate internal resources to retune their CNS and ANS to experience feelings of safety. Optimizing the body’s neurochemical state will promote a deep sense of physical and mental well-being and mitigates chronic pain.

Who This Program is For

Summit Schedule