Quickest way to relieve pain you’ve never heard of

Psychology, medicine, and somatic (bodywork) practices all view the body in unique ways. Yes, your basic body parts are all the same, but how your body creates, manifests, holds, and releases the pain you feel are seen in different ways.

Psychologists see emotional issues affecting the body through triggers. Triggers are conditioned responses we often have little control over. As such, psychotherapy can be an effective course of treatment.

Physicians see the chemistry and biology of pain responses — and utilize drugs and other methods to turn off pain switches or dampen responses to it.

Bodyworkers—those who practice somatic treatment — see pain as being held in the tissues, causing spasm, inflammation that requires massage, stretching, and trigger point therapy for release.

Luckily we are increasingly living in a health environment where various practices and outlooks come together to see a new, more comprehensive, view of the body, pain, and its treatment. Accelerated Behavioral Medicine (ABM) is one such approach that may be what you need to get out of your chronic pain cycle.

Some personal background

I was listening to a radio talk show with a psychologist and they were discussing the fields of behavioral medicine and cognitive behavioral medicine. The basic conversation had to do with conditioning and the joining of medicine and psychology in treating illness. I enjoy these types of conversational interviews because they spark questions in my own beliefs and practices regarding wellness and quality of life.

Having suffered chronic pain my entire life, this particular interview triggered a memory of a time in the 1990s when I carried out research with Michael Maliszewski, PhD at Harvard, on altered states of consciousness related to energy medicine and martial arts. It was during that time that Mike shared with me a method he formulated called Accelerated Behavioral Medicine (ABM), which helped over 20,000 pain patients per year in one Chicago clinic. I used these methods when severe neck pain or headaches would strike. So I called Mike and we discussed behavioral medicine in terms of chronic pain. I’d like to share some of that conversation with you today.

What is the difference between Behavioral Medicine and Cognitive Behavioral Medicine?

Behavioral medicine is an interdisciplinary field of study drawing upon medicine and psychology. It deals with the development and integration of information derived from medical, behavioral, and psychosocial sciences to further our understanding of health and treatment of illness.

The basic premise of Cognitive behavioral therapy holds that behaviors cannot be controlled or modified by rational thought alone and that behaviors can stem from prior conditioning derived from the environment or either internal or external stimuli. This is an active form of therapy where a therapist guides the client to assist with modifying problem areas or undesired thoughts, mood, or behaviors through behavioral and cognitive (mental) techniques.

How did you come to help develop the practice known as Accelerated Behavioral Medicine?

Accelerated behavioral medicine (ABM) was developed 30 years ago at the world’s largest headache treatment center that treated some 20,000 patients annually from all over the world.  The severity of pain conditions treated at this setting warranted finding practical techniques and strategies that could alleviate pain as quickly as possible. Twenty years after its initial development, major insurance carriers recognized the value of brief intervention approaches and developed specific behavioral codes to identify use of this type of treatment intervention.

What are the main types of pain/illness treatable with this method?

Conditions which can be treated include headache disorders, back pain and other pain conditions that are impacted by stress, physical movement, thought patterns, and mood.

What is the primary difference between ABM and other behavioral medicine approaches?

ABM differs from other behavioral medicine interventions in its design to reduce pain as quickly as possible. Traditional approaches used in therapy have extended time frames and many sessions to affect positive outcomes with pain reduction. Many programs require up to two weeks or more to learn a basic therapeutic intervention technique.  The ABM approach can be taught in 20-30 minutes on average.

That’s almost unheard of in therapeutic approaches. What is the main treatment point when using ABM?

The major point when using ABM is that factors contributing to pain can be minimized by developing specific, yet brief, time-oriented techniques that are used on a daily basis and become conditioned as a “habit” response which eventually involves minimal effort and attention.

Are there simple techniques a person can put to use throughout the day to help themselves?

The core foundation of ABM is based on the daily application of very short term exercises, mental and physical, that are practiced throughout the entire waking time period. The time involved extends from 1 minute to 9 minutes for specific exercises or movement patterns. Physical movement and breathing exercises constitute the primary focus of exercises recommended. As pain subsides, accompanying mood (anxiety, depression, etc.) improves.

What are the core features of some of those exercises?

There are warm-up exercise one would start with upon waking in the morning, before rising:

• While lying down, very slowly move all parts of your body starting from feet and moving up towards the top of the head — turning, twisting and rotating all the different muscle areas. This should be done effortlessly for three minutes.
• Repeat the same procedure for the next three minutes while sitting and then again while standing.
• At bed time, you will reverse the order for a warm-down exercise before falling asleep.
• During the day, you will do diaphragmatic breathing for 60 seconds at a time, every hour on the hour.

That’s actually 80% of ABM method tailored to a person’s 24 hour activation level. There would be more based on the individual’s specific issues.

More information

Even though Dr. Maliszewski created the Accelerated Behavioral Medicine practice almost 30 years ago, and it significantly help tens of thousands of pain patients annually, it is not as “available” as one would hope. But the practice itself is simple and powerful. You can learn more by reading his article in the journal Alternative and Complimentary Therapies, and can help yourself now by incorporating the basic ABM body/breathing methods outlined above.