Mind-Body therapies, also known as integrative therapies, focus on the mind-body connection. Many techniques help calm the ‘flight or fight’ sympathetic response of the body and instead promote the ‘rest and digest’ parasympathetic response instead. The result is a calming of the nervous system. They have been proven to help reduce the amount of medications people take in the setting of pain and are particularly useful in chronic pain. These may include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) – This therapy helps you replace thoughts about pain with more helpful, accurate thoughts so that your brain doesn’t become overly protective and produce too much pain. This therapy also helps you take part in fewer behaviors related to pain and, instead, do activities that are distracting and meaningful to you. Research about CBT shows it can reduce chronic pain over time.
• Biofeedback – Biofeedback may help you learn to control some of your body functions related to pain, such as brain activity, blood pressure, muscle tension and heart rate. It can help you find out which types of relaxation strategies work best for you so you can learn to dial down your brain’s protection system. This can improve your ability to function and reduce pain.
• Meditation – Focusing on deep breathing or a simple phrase to calm your mind and body
• Paced breathing – Using controlled breathing to help lower heart rate, pain and stress
• Spirituality – Engagement in spiritual practices has been shown to improve symptoms and healing in multiple studies. It can also help bring a sense of purpose and community.
• Acupuncture – A traditional Chinese therapy, acupuncture has been thought to offer relief by creating a localized tissue reaction that results in the release of cellular chemicals that calm the pain response.
• Massage Therapy – Massage therapy uses systematic rubbing and manipulation of body parts to reduce muscle tension and stress, treat pain, promote relaxation and create a feeling of general well-being.