Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain

The Impact of Chronic Pain

When pain or discomfort lasts for more than three months, it becomes known as chronic pain. Approximately 1 in 5 people live with some form of chronic pain, often caused by medical conditions, physical injuries, or unknown reasons. Chronic pain has a negative impact on employment, mobility, mental health, and overall quality of life. Research shows that both physical and psychological factors play a role in chronic pain. Counselling can play help address the psychological aspects of pain and its impact on physical, emotional, and social well-being. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) helps people focus less on fighting their pain and more on living a meaningful life, even when pain is present.  

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a recommended therapy to help manage chronic pain. Instead of avoiding, fighting, or trying to change painful thoughts, feelings, and experiences, ACT teaches you to accept and embrace them. By noticing these experiences without judgment, they can create space for personal growth and healing.  

Research shows that ACT can lower pain levels, reduce anxiety and depression, and improve overall quality of life. 

ACT is based on five main concepts: 

1. Acceptance: accepting your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations without trying to push them away or change them. 

2. Cognitive Defusion: observing your thoughts without getting caught up in them or treating them as facts – sometimes a thought is just a thought. 

3. Mindfulness: paying attention to the present moment with curiosity and without judgment. 

4. Discovering the ‘Observer Self’: recognizing that you can observe your thoughts and feelings without being defined by them 

5. Values-Based Action: identifying what is meaningful and important in your life and taking steps toward living a life according to those values 

Many of our counsellors at OK Clinical Therapy Group use ACT to support people living with chronic pain, depression, anxiety, or other challenges. If you are interested in counselling services with this approach, please reach out or fill out our Best Fit Form to be matched with a counsellor. 

Want to Learn More? Here are Some Additional Resources for Information: 

Check out these references & resources:

• Hayes, S.C., Pistorello, J., & Levin, M.E. (2012). Acceptance and commitment therapy as a unified model of behaviour change. The Counselling Psychologist, 40(7), 976-1002. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000012460836  
• Hughes, L.S., Clark, J., Colclough, J.A., Dale, E., & McMillan, D. (2017). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for chronic pain: A systematic review and meta-analyses.  The Clinical Journal of Pain, 33(6), 552-568. https://doi.org/10.1097/AJP.0000000000000425  
• Trindade, I.A., Guiomar, R., Carvalho, S.A., Duarte, J., Lapa, T., Menezes, P., Nogueira, M.R., Patrao, B., Pinto-Gouveia, J., & Castilho, P. (2021). Efficacy of online-based acceptance and commitment therapy for chronic pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of Pain, 22(11), 1328-1342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2021.04.003 

Written by: Cali Frederick, Practicum Student

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