ACCEPTANCE and COMMITMENT THERAPY AUSTRALIA

ACT and Pain Management
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ACT and Pain Management
 
Dr JoAnne Dahl

Associate Professor JoAnne Dahl is recognised at the leader in the development of ACT for Pain management. JoAnne was in Australia during July and August. This was unique opportunity to work with one of Europe’s most experienced and sought after ACT Trainers.

JoAnne Dahl is an associate professor in clinical psychology at Uppsala University in Sweden. She has a 25-year background in behaviour medicine research for chronic illness. Over the last 5 years she has been researching the effectiveness of ACT in the treatment of chronic pain, (prevention and rehabilitation) diabetes, epilepsy, headache, social phobia, obesity, and other conditions. This has included epilepsy projects in Pune, India, and in Johannesburg, South Africa.

She is the primary author of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain and Living Beyond Your Pain and numerous scientific articles. At present she runs an active ACT lab with a large community of students in the clinical program at Uppsala University. She recently won a Gold Flame award from the Epilepsy Organisation (Sweden) for her work in developing treatment for epilepsy nationally and internationally.

We were happy to work with Joanne on her workshop at St Vincents Hospital. The workshop filled quickly with over 30 participants attending.

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So why use ACT for chronic pain?

"ACT is a therapy approach that uses acceptance and mindfulness processes and commitment and behaviour change processes to produce greater psychological flexibility." (Hayes & Stroshal P13: 2004). ACT is considered to be part of the third wave of therapies, with their focus on acceptance, values, mindfulness and cognitive defusion seen uniquely poised to assist with the many problems that are inherent in the experience of pain, including all of the difficult psychological content that often accompanies it.

The main differences in ACT is that the functional analysis in ACT describes, the triggers and functions of the chains of pain behaviour as well as the functions of pain and the fears of pain in a much wider context for each individual. (Dahl, Wilson, Luciano & Hayes 2005)

Another difference in this ACT model of chronic Pain as well as functional analysis is the treatment of the client’s language. ACT technology does this by defusion exercises and observing thoughts as thoughts. The aim of the ACT model in pain is creating flexibility around the client’s stuckness in pain and building a repertoire toward valued life directions. (Dahl, Wilson, Luciano & Hayes 2005)

Joannes workshop focussed on participants understanding the fundamentals of ACT for pain management:

• Notice the struggles patients have with their pain

• Become aware of what the pain stops them from being in their lives

• Discover what the costs are for putting their lives on hold

• Be able to understand an alternative to the continuing war on pain

• Be able to move on with their lives in a valued direction

Click here to see inside Joannes book at Amazon.com

Click here to visit JoAnne Dahls Website

Dahl, J., Wilson, K. G., & Nilsson, A. (2004). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and the treatment of persons at risk for long-term disability resulting from stress and pain symptoms: A preliminary randomized trial. Behavior Therapy, 35, 785-802.

 

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