1. Introduction. Pain is really strange. Acute versus chronic pain, definitions and some history of pain. Your brain's assessment of danger is essential to the pain experience. 2. Pain is Complex. Your brain often makes mistakes, chronic pain is a fault in the alarm system. 3. It Is Not About The Tissues. Sensitisation in the nervous and immune systems and how tissues heal in a few months. 4. How Do Nerves Work? Knowing how nerves work helps understand chronic pain. 5. There Is Something You Can Do To Change Your Pain Experience. Creativity, visualisation, movement, body awareness, and skillfull language are tools to change pain. 6. References are in footnotes in the book and in more detail on www.painisreallystrange.com.
A scientifically-based, detailed, and gently humorous graphic book on pain and pain management
Steve Haines is a trainer, bodyworker and author. He has studied
Yoga, Shiatsu, Craniosacral Therapy, TRE® (Trauma Releasing
Exercises) and is a UK registered Chiropractor.
Steve is the bestselling author of Pain is Really Strange, Trauma
is Really Strange and Anxiety is Really Strange, which was Highly
Commended by the BMA in 2018. He lives between London and
Geneva.
www.bodycollege.net
Sophie Standing is an illustrator and designer, specialising in
human sciences. Her style combines digital and hand-made, with an
emphasis on rich colour, textures and metaphorical concepts.
https://www.sophiestandingillustration.com/
This seemingly innocuous picture book on pain is so much more.
Steve Haines has compiled a brilliant little volume of insights.
Its colorful images invoke a playful approach to unlearning old
patterns. Its rich scientific information helps disassemble, piece
by piece, the way we've come to think about pain as a culture.
Haines takes the next step, too; he doesn't leave us wondering what
to do next, but offers practical tools we can use to rewire our
mind-body response to pain. This tiny book packs a powerful
punch!
*Bo Forbes, Psy.D., psychologist, yoga teacher, and author of 'Yoga
for Emotional Balance'*
With this straightforward, smart, and visually rich book, Steve
Haines has done a huge service to people by helping them to better
map their bodies, resolve fear of movement, and to find their way
out of pain. This book is incredibly easy to follow, but doesn't
dumb down pain science in the least. Understanding what pain is is
a crucial part of healing, and this succinct and wonderfully
illustrated book is the perfect resource for educating people about
why they experience pain, and how they can "unlearn" it. I can't
wait to give this book to all of my clients and to recommend it to
all of my listeners. Whether you are a person suffering with
chronic pain, or a teacher or practitioner who wants to better
understand pain in the context of your work, read this book. It is
a tremendous resource.
*Brooke Thomas, Certified Rolfer, movement educator, and creator of
the Liberated Body Podcast*
Steve and Sophie have done an extraordinary thing: they have
managed to make pain beautiful and interesting. If you want to
really understand your relationship with pain and be thoroughly
entertained at the same time then this is the book for you.
*Fred Deakin, Professor of Interactive Digital Arts at University
of the Arts London, half of the band Lemon Jelly, and founder and
director of Airside design agency*
The wisdom and knowledge in this seemingly simple book sneaks up on
the reader. Initially one would not think that such a depth of
insight could be infused in a picture book. However, it can be
likened to a printed version of a TED Talk. It engages the reader
more and more with each page until in the end the reader realizes
they want to read it again because it contains so much useful
information in such an easily accessible manner.
*David Berceli, Ph.D., Creator of Tension & Trauma Releasing
Exercises (TRE)*
Pain Is Really Strange is a revelation. I have been actively
managing multiple health conditions for over 20 years. In his book,
Steve unpacks information about our brains, nerves, and body
memories, sketching out a framework, which has presented me with a
new, insightful perspective on my pain/health/medical issues. He
differentiates different types of pain and eloquently articulates
bits of information I have encountered over the years but have not
been able to join up. I shall re-read it often as a touchstone.
Brilliant!
*Craig Givens, someone who manages more pain that he would
like*
Explaining your chronic pain to your friends, family or boss can be
difficult. But what if there were a tool, which could not only help
your support network better understand your suffering, it could
also help relieve your pain? The research-based graphic novel Pain
is Really Strange by body worker Steve Haines and illustrator
Sophie Standing might be able to accomplish both.
...So take 30 minutes and read this book - not only will it give
you an informative, entertaining method of translating pain to your
support network, research shows that it could also relieve your
pain.
*Pain Pathways Magazine*
A beautifully illustrated book that provides a fun yet informative
narration of the science of pain.
*International Therapist*
...Sophie Standing's artwork is instrumental to the success of this
volume. She has a distinctive and engaging style that brings to
life text that could be dull or overly technical without this
visual element. This is a fascinating read for anyone with an
interest in biology or medicine and it works extremely well in the
graphic novel format.
*The Hub: Your Connection to Teen Collections YALSA*
This book is not for all people with chronic pain - but I would
highly recommend it for people living with pain who have the
emotional intelligence to look within and for whom visualisation,
meditation and self-awareness might provide 'creative responses'.
It is a great buy for the right person.
*The Association for Perioperative Practice*
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