1- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: incorporates active coping skills such as relaxation, self-statement, training, and cognitive restructuring. The purpose is to change the patient’s perception of his/her relationship to his/her pain.
2- The goal is education on the impact of pain on individual’s life
3- Acquiring skills such as relaxation techniques, active psychotherapy using paced mastery, problem-solving skills, stress management techniques, distraction skills, restructuring, and communication skills. These techniques should patients change their perception of pain.
4- Rehearsal to apply pain management skills they have learned to real life situations. These skills include mental imagery, role-playing, and role reversal.
5- Preventing relapse to prepare patients to adequately deal with stressors and problems.
6- Replacing negative thoughts with avoidance of polarized thinking, eliminating external controlling fallacies, avoiding irrational reasoning and focusing on pain, and avoiding negative attitudes.
7- Be positive, life is too short to waste on negative thinking.
