I'm going to share just one technique that this research has led to, but before that you really need to know the pain traps that could keep you stuck with the pain. Take action on every one of these so you can increase your chances of success.



It's really important that you don't underestimate these pain traps in any way. We now know that long-term pain is triggered in your nervous system in a way that's very different to short-term pain, and every one of these traps can act as a trigger.

TRAP 1

Withdrawing from people. I know that when you've got pain the last thing you might feel like doing is mixing with people. In the acute stage of your pain, when the injury was still fresh, that was a good idea, but it's the last thing you should do when your pain is long-term. It's absolutely vital that you mix with people, and that you don't let anything stand in the way of that, including your pain.

TRAP 2

Not being active enough. Of course you need to rest and recover when an injury is fresh, but that's the last thing you should do with long-term pain. Activity is crucial for mental and physical health - your body needs it! But don't worry if you pain specialist has criticised you for not "pushing" through the pain. That's a dumb statement to make because it can sensitise you instead of helping. You need to have a base amount of activity that is pretty much OK, and then consistently increase how hard and how long you do it.

Your intention should be to keep increasing the activity, without increasing the flaring any more than it is already. If you get a flare, you back off for maybe a day (or whatever it takes), then you get right back on track.

TRAP 3

Not being as independent as you possibly can. When you're dependent on others more than you need to be, you suffer (whether you know it or not) from higher stress levels. These stress levels sensitise your nervous system and increase your pain. So take a good look at what you allow others to do for you and think of ways around that. Also take a good look at your conversation with you're with family or friends. Are you saying the same things over and over each time you see them? Don't let them get in a rut either!

TRAP 4

Dumping interests or hobbies. You absolutely must keep an interest or hobby, whether you get enjoyment out of it or not. Your nervous system needs you to do it!

In the same way, you must stay aware of what's going on in the world. Stay informed, and talk to people about their thoughts and feelings in relation to what you discover. Become involved.

TRAP 5

Suffering from depression, anger, embarrassment or anxiety. All these feelings are completely understandable, especially if no-one's been able to help you and you wonder if this is going to go on forever! But the problem with these feelings is not just how rotten they make you feel, it's the stress they put on your nervous system. Don't worry, you don't need to use willpower because that doesn't work anyway. But there are very simple ways that you can just turn those feelings off so they don't trouble you or impact on you in any way.

TRAP 6

Not managing your sleep. You need a good night's sleep in order to even function well, let alone heal from a health problem! But lots of people with pain tolerate poor sleep, or get into sleeping habits that don't support good health. Snoring is a big assault on your health because it deprives your body and brain of oxygen through the night. Grab a book on "sleep hygiene" and put those methods into practice.

TRAP 7

Nutrition that doesn't support health. Good nutrition supports good mental and physical health, just as good sleep does. How do you know if your nutrition is right? Look at your weight for one thing. If you're overweight or underweight then your nutrition is probably wrong. Are you tired a lot? Do you feel confused sometimes? These are also signs that your nutrition needs to be examined.

When you think about these things, they're quite obvious aren't they? But how many of them has your doctor spoken to you about in detail? I urge you to pay very close attention to the detail of these issues and move right away from those 7 traps as fast as you can!

NOW YOU CAN TEST OUT A NEW PAIN TREATMENT

This technique might look pretty crazy, but it's designed that way deliberately, to "mess up" the pain signals. If you want the whole theory and detail of the approach, you can't go past the book "The Pain Train - Time to Get Off", but here you get a chance to try it on and see if you get any result at all.

Anything that "mixes up" pain signals has got to be at least a bit confusing, and I think you'll agree that this crazy-looking technique achieves that very successfully. But don't be fooled, this technique is getting rapid recognition from doctors all over the world. Here's a short taste.

Decide on a single tiny spot on your body where you have pain. Guess how strong that pain is out of 10, with 10 out of 10 being the worst you could imagine, and 0 out of 10 being no pain at all. While you're focussing strongly on that pain, start tapping, flicking, pinching, stroking, all over your head, face, chest, arms, and legs, even the soles of your feet if you like. At the same time, imagine that you're tasing different types of strongly-flavoured food: a lemon, a chocolate, a mint, a nice steak.

Keep that up for a few minutes, then with your focus still on that exact spot, take a really deep breath through your nose, and powerfully blow through your mouth until your lungs feel really empty.

Make sure you check that one spot. A lot of people, even from the start, notice that the pain isn't the same. It might have changed in some way (a different type of pain) or it might have increased, decreased, or moved. Often it comes back, but less and less until it's gone for good.