Healing Inside the Crisis of Chronic Pain – My Personal Role as a Health Care Provider
The suffering and socio-economic burden of injuries that spiral into chronic pain suggests that responding to this significant multi-layered conflict is a complex task urging us to think outside the box. Exploring the roots of the current challenges modern western biomedicine faces with chronic pain opens up the possibility to transform them in favour of dynamics that are personally more rewarding and societally less costly. The conflict transformation approach and the transrational understanding of peace can support the current shift in pain conceptualization as well as honour the healing potential that lies in our ability to connect our human bodies and minds and furthermore connect to society and nature. An examination of humanistic psychologists’ views helps to provide care that nurtures health, and I explore how I may communicate with persons suffering from chronic pain in ways that foster healing.
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I pursued this present work at the University of Innsbruck because I am interested in healing, and in my experience healing requires an approach that goes beyond rationality-only and reductionism-only. It has been a privilege to study and write about ‘healing inside the chronic pain crisis’ within the framework of Innsbruck’s conflict and peace studies as it contributed to expand my conception of our inherent potential as human beings to nurture and express kindness, care, and compassion. Moreover, throughout the writing process, I have researched how to foster a deeper sense of connection, intuitiveness and enjoyment both in myself and in my interactions. Last but not least, the Innsbruck approach encouraged me to nourish and express my vitality. In turn, this allowed me to witness more and more the intricacies of life that can only be revealed in the moment.