Outsmart Your Pain

Confronting chronic pain can feel overwhelming. People have a natural tendency to lump everything related to pain - stressful thoughts, negative emotions, uncomfortable sensations - into one big unwieldy box that we then struggle to carry around all day. But what if we could put down this box and unpack its contents to tackle one by one, aided by an expert doctor's tried-and-tested methods? Outsmart Your Pain is a transformative guide to reframing and managing pain, "unpacking the pain box" through proven mindfulness and self-compassion techniques. This book is designed with the pain-sufferer in mind, with concise advice and instruction for those seeking immediate relief. Each chapter addresses the what, why, and how: What is the strategy, why it is helping with pain, and how to put it into practice. Some practices are guided meditations, others are reflections, and still others are brief awareness exercises to use while going through the day. Dr Wolf draws these insights from her experience as a teacher and trainer for Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and the patients she's guided in her fifteen years of practice - every chapter involves a story from a real-life person with chronic pain who she's taught and learned from. The book also offers a companion audio track to guide readers through each of the meditations. Outsmart Your Pain works on the principle that we are all capable of changing our brains to outsmart pain - and, in the process, leave our pain behind.