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What to do if it hurts? Whether tension headache, migraine or back pain: who often has pain, often no longer believes that he can change something about his condition. But with many pain syndromes, there are ways to better understand them, to deal with them more competently - and, if necessary, to relieve the pain.
Up to 15 million people in this country suffer from recurring pain. With four to five million of them, the complaints severely limit their quality of life, according to the German Pain Association in a recent report (PDF).
Of course, pain syndromes, which are covered by these numbers, very different, they range from rheumatism to migraine. Not all these chronic pains can be controlled independently with small exercises.
Pain medics and psychologists point out, however, that there are various back, head or abdominal pain, which ultimately have no tangible physical cause and therefore can not be treated by classical medical measures. Such pain can be partly psychological - and therefore sometimes easier than other pain by reflections and psycho-educational exercises are influenced.
"Mental condition in this context does not mean that someone has a mental illness," says psychologist and non-fiction author Hanne Seemann. "Rather, the term suggests that this pain is a signal, it tells how the body and soul are." Even if it sounds strange at first: you can learn to better understand and classify these pain signals - and then to respond better to your own body and its needs.
Exclusively for SPIEGEL WISSEN and SPIEGEL ONLINE, the psychologist Seemann has now developed a coaching system that allows sufferers to recognize what kind of pain they have, how they can handle the signals and which relaxation exercises, exercise sessions and lifestyle changes may help to alleviate their physical pain alleviate.
Each week, over an eight-week period, we will provide you with an informative and practical unit that will help you explore what your body needs, and when activity, or even rest, could help alleviate your pain.
The overriding purpose of the tasks is that you learn to listen more to yourself, your body, and your personal needs. According to Pain Psychotherapists, this approach can be very effective in relieving and sharing pain.
Here you can register for the free coaching.
For each issue, SPIEGEL WISSEN offers a practical, easy-to-use everyday online coaching suitable for their particular issue.
Each coaching lasts eight weeks. During this time, you will always receive a tutorial by e-mail on Fridays that can help you to make your life better. Order the newsletter here:
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