Reconnections- Chronic Pain Group

‘Reconnections’-Chronic Pain Group Abstract. Matt Seabrook and Ghani Nasery, STTARS, Adelaide. The prevalence and complex nature of pain amongst survivors of torture/trauma is vast and adversely impacts on their health... [ view full abstract ]

‘Reconnections’-Chronic Pain Group Abstract.

Matt Seabrook and Ghani Nasery, STTARS, Adelaide.

The prevalence and complex nature of pain amongst survivors of torture/trauma is vast and adversely impacts on their health and wellbeing in many ways. The basis of this program was to facilitate a broader understanding of chronic pain issues and management in a cross-cultural context for refugee groups with a history of torture and complex trauma. Furthermore, the program aimed to improve client’s quality of life, restore hope, confidence, trust and build upon broad social/cultural connections. The group consisted of 8 males and 4 females from various cultural backgrounds who were clients of STTARS and who had a history of unresolved chronic pain. The sessions ran for 4 hours every fortnight for 16 weeks during 2016. Our overall approach to self-management was to explore multiple strategies for individuals living with chronic pain including nutrition and diet, exercise, sleep hygiene, medication management, mindfulness and relaxation techniques, group discussions and individual storytelling. The participants were all asked to complete a pre and post pain score evaluation and a chronic pain impact worksheet. Upon completion of the group sessions, clients reported a decrease in their pain scores and an increase in their daily coping strategies. Interestingly, despite the cultural diversity of the participants, many shared similar cultural views of the origins and expression of their pain that conflicted with the western discourse of pain origins and management. As such, an understanding of how collective culture, trauma and grief shapes pain perception in our clients is imperative in supporting them beyond the western paradigm of pharmaceutical approaches.