24. Thriving with Chronic Pain with Beth Darnall, PhD

Living with hypermobility disorders often means learning to live with chronic pain, and as pain is a whole-person experience - physical, emotional, and mental - it stands to reason that pain can have a profound influence on every facet of our daily lives.  Joining us for this episode is Beth Darnall, a Stanford pain scientist, international speaker, evidence-based psychologist, and author. Beth encourages us to think about pain more broadly, explaining why a multi-disciplinary assessment is so necessary for diagnosing and treating pain. Beth talks about how sleep is a top predictor of pain levels for the next day, and how treatment for sleep disorders can help with chronic pain. She goes in-depth on the topic of treating chronic pain using behavioral treatments so people are empowered to help themselves, and lists some of the best ways people can improve chronic pain.  Beth gives suggestions on how to reduce pain-related distress, discusses the importance of dedicating time to practicing skills and strategies that help people live with chronic pain, and reminds us that it’s what we do in the day-to-day that makes the difference, more than what happens with sporadic office visits.  Check out this must-listen episode for anyone struggling to cope with chronic pain! https://bethdarnall.com/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices