Lauren’s Transformation with the EPS Pain Management Program

When Lauren started the Persistent Pain Program, she was teary, anxious about her future, and felt somewhat worthless. She was acutely aware of her diminished ability to handle daily responsibilities, including work and being a “good” mother and partner. This awareness led her to develop a ‘boom-bust’ approach to tasks: she would push herself hard to be as capable as possible, only to be overwhelmed by pain, which would then plunge her into despair and feelings of hopelessness. The turnaround came when she thought, “What have I got to lose by doing the program?” She began to engage with the concept of persistent pain and learned not just to survive but to thrive despite it.

Valuable aspects of the program for Lauren included:

• Breaking the pattern of how the mind perceives pain and can exacerbate and catastrophise, leading to increased pain and the sense of hopelessness.
• Learning to use evidence-based strategies (both physical and mental) to redirect the mind away from pain and into a more functional way of being active.
• Separating the sense of self-worth from how functional you are which allowed her to (missing content).
• Break the boom-bust cycle through taking small steps and accepting help.
• Finally, to not let the pain she experiences define who she is, which she found profoundly liberating.