Chronic Pain

Do you struggle with chronic pain?

After an illness or because of an underlying condition that is not yet diagnosed, you may experience ongoing exhaustion, unexplained symptoms or pain.  You may ‘look normal’ to an observer, but it’s a struggle to keep up the smile some days.​​
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Did you know that Invalidation: the feeling that your pain is disbelieved, is often reported by people with chronic pain?​
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There is strong evidence supporting the association between invalidation, emotional dysregulation and the development of mental health issues. ​
 
In fact, not being believed may be one of the major contributors to the development of mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder in people living with ‘invisible illness’ or ‘chronic pain’.​
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It might seem obvious, but when a person’s experience is validated (e.g., “I can see that this is difficult for you.”), that person is better able to regulate the intensity of their emotions because their expression has been acknowledged and accepted.
 
Conversely, when your experience is invalidated (e.g., “that didn’t hurt you”), emotional reactivity is increased, and emotional regulatory strategies become impaired.