ON THE NEXUS OF CHRONIC PAIN, POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS, AND ALEXITHYMIA
Keywords:
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Chronic Pain, Alexithymia, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment TherapyAbstract
Chronic pain, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Alexithymia are commonly co-occurring disorders which interact in such a manner that each exacerbates the symptomology of the other. The cyclical nature of co-morbid chronic pain and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms (i.e., chronic pain reigniting trauma symptoms and trauma symptoms manifesting somatically to increase pain), coupled with the communication and emotion insight impairments associated with Alexithymia, often leads to increased complications. However, the interaction between these diagnoses is often overlooked by treating health care and behavioral health practitioners and there is a dearth of research regarding efficacious treatment. This article explores the relationship between these disorders, their interaction, and hypothesizes treatment interventions that address the unique needs of these patients.Downloads
Published
2018-11-14
Issue
Section
Articles
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).