Pain Psychology

Masochism is sexy, human, reviled, worshipped, and can be delightfully bizarre. Deliberate and consensual pain has been with us for millennia, encompassing everyone from Black Plague flagellants to ballerinas dancing on broken bones to competitive eaters choking down hot peppers while they cry. Masochism is a part of us. It lives inside workaholics, tattoo enthusiasts, and all manner of garden variety pain-seekers.

For thousands of years, scientists, philosophers, and self-help gurus have wrestled with one of the basic conundrums of human life: Why do we do the things we do? Or, rather, why do we so often not do the things we want to do? In You're a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass), McHargue addresses these issues. We like to think we’re in control of our thoughts and decisions, he writes, but science has shown that a host of competing impulses, emotions, and environmental factors are at play in every action we undertake.

Can you really cure chronic pain without drugs, surgery, or therapy? Surprisingly, often the answer is yes. While chronic pain can have a physical cause, this book, written by a leading UK physiotherapist and chronic pain specialist, reveals how very real, even debilitating, pain can frequently be caused by our brain in response to repressed or avoided emotions as a result of current and even past experiences. This process is at the root of many common complaints.

For over 20 years, Jim Curtis has battled a mysterious chronic illness. He grew accustomed to living in pain, denial, and despair. But when traditional medical therapies didn't help, he sought answers elsewhere. He traveled the world and met a group of extraordinary people he calls the Stimulati - and what he learned from them ultimately changed his life.

This essential guide, written by an expert in pediatric pain management, is the practical, accessible, and comprehensive resource that families and caregivers have been waiting for. It offers in-the-moment strategies for managing a child’s pain along with expert advice for fostering long-term comfort and is the foremost resource for parents and caregivers seeking ways to help their child increase comfort and overcome chronic pain.

Trauma, abuse, childhood wounds, and toxic relationships have broken us. But there is no shame in brokenness. In fact, it’s in our brokenness where the healing power of Jesus comes to find us. Brave Enough to Be Broken is a biblical road map you can use to heal from the pain, the shame, and the regrets that have tried to steal your joy, so you can rest in the unconditional love, healing, and hope of Jesus.

Built for Freedom is a no-holds-barred look at the root of all this suffering and the way I’ve found to leave it behind without having to turn your life into an unpaid career of therapy, recovery, and healing. The stories inside are an invitation to quit the fight and finally enjoy your birthright of freedom. Because you are already built for it.

Why It's OK to Talk About Trauma is the book your brain, body and future self need to listen to. 1 in 2 people experience trauma at some point in their lives. Trauma can be a result of anything which causes fear, helplessness and horror. Broadcaster and abuse survivor Charlie Webster uses her own lived experience alongside advice from experts to create a companion for trauma survivors – a book that will help, explain, understand and navigate the impact of trauma on our lives.

I forgive you. Those three little words can improve your physical and mental health, release anger and resentment, and boost your overall well-being. Research shows that holding on to hurt is toxic to your mind, body, and spirit - increasing your chance of heart disease, inflammation, and depression. The solution is to forgive - but that doesn’t mean letting the person who hurt you off the hook!

The act of caregiving is physically exhausting and emotionally draining, yet caregivers describe it as rewarding and gratifying. Prolonged exposure to human suffering, however, is not without risks - caregivers report high rates of burnout and poor quality of life.

Few people will easily admit to taking pleasure in the misfortunes of others. But who doesn't enjoy it when an arrogant but untalented contestant is humiliated on American Idol, or when the embarrassing vice of a self-righteous politician is exposed, or even when an envied friend suffers a small setback? The truth is that joy in someone else's pain - known by the German word schadenfreude - permeates our society.

What if you could activate or improve your body’s natural healing thanks to a few simple physical exercises? Just imagine those exercises reducing your body’s inflammation, anxiety, or chronic illness. How could it be possible? Simply thanks to the vagus nerve! If you never heard about vagus nerves, which are usually referred to in the singular, they are the longest and maybe the most important autonomic nerves in human body. Approximately the 80 percent of its nerve fibers drive information from the body to the brain.

The miracles of modern medicine - and our overreliance on prescription drugs and surgical procedures - have obscured the evolutionary ability of the body to heal itself, as Oxford University researcher Jeremy Howick explains in this groundbreaking book. Wealthy countries have become highly dependent on medical intervention: On average, one-fifth of all Americans, half of the elderly British, and two-thirds of older Canadians take at least five prescription drugs per day; their lives a nonstop ritual of pill popping and managing side effects.

In this book Dr Jessamy unriddles the effects of trauma. Using a combination of psychology, neuroscience and her own experiences, Dr Jessamy brings a tough subject to life and opens up the space for healing. This book centres on the concept of 'Post-traumatic growth' - a term used to describe the remarkable way that painful experiences can lead to a valuable re-assessment of life, a renewed discovery of meaning and a fresh perspective.

In a pharmacy in Kermit, West Virginia, 12 million opioid pain pills were distributed in just three years to a town with a population of 382 people. One woman, after losing her brother to overdose, was desperate for justice. Debbie Preece’s fight for accountability for her brother’s death took her well beyond the Sav-Rite Pharmacy in coal country, ultimately leading to three of the biggest drug wholesalers in the country. She was joined by a crusading lawyer and by local journalist Eric Eyre, who uncovered a massive opioid pill-dumping scandal.

It’s no secret that life can be hard. The emotional pain that comes with being human is often met with sadness, depression, loneliness, anger, or even rage. Untwisted will guide you back to heal your emotional pain and bring you back to joy, your natural state. Untwisted proposes a proven drug-free technique you can use to eliminate the root cause of your emotional wounds and transform your life for the better.

Stop panic attacks and anxiety disorders without drugs now! This book was written to help you beat your panic attack problem. However, the main goal is to help you overcome the shame you can feel related to panic attacks. First you will get explanations of panic attacks and anxiety disorders to prove how common they really are. Then, after thoroughly explaining panic attacks we will move to the ways that will help you combat them and keep them under control.

When a 200-pound glass partition fell on Donna Fado Ivery's head resulting in brain injury, disability, and chronic pain, she could no longer count on walking, speaking, or thinking. How would she care for her infant, her preschooler, her husband, and herself? How would she continue to serve as pastor? With humor and humility, this inspirational memoir speaks to Donna’s struggle through medical, social, and church prejudice with the abiding support of family and the Holy Spirit.

Silent treatment is one of the most devastating acts from a narcissist when his or her lover is falling in love with them. The narcissist uses this tactic to create a conflict of "supply and demand". The narcissist love bombs and supplies his lovers for a time period until he has no more to give or until he gets bored with his partner. Then he pushes the partner away and returns to fulfill his own desires while the partner is away.

Written for practitioners as well as everyday people who struggle with emotional issues, Soul Pain Revealed will inform and inspire listeners. Dr. Julie Caton addresses the chasm between the two different landscapes of science and psychology, and faith and spiritual healing. Believing that faith is a valuable healing agent, Dr. Caton uses testimonies, case studies, and her own experiences to highlight this principle. She recognizes that counselors in both the mental health field and the faith-based arena share the same goal: to reduce emotional suffering.