Our program met every two weeks for two hours.  Each session had a particular agenda:  for sessions 2 – 14, a new relaxation technique would be taught, group members would check in, a medical topic would be covered and/or a therapeutic principle would be introduced, there would be a group medical visit with a topic or two pertinent to participants’ current complaints addressed.  Below are links to the cover sheets we used to guide these sessions, which include quotations relevant to the material at hand, and links to the relevant handouts.

Session 1 – primarily an overview lecture, introducing pain physiology, medication use, relaxation techniques, abdominal breathing

Session 2 - mindful eating, introductions, Meanings of Pain exercise, Intro to CBT

Session 3 - safe place guided imagery, gratitude journal, pleasurable activities

Session 4 - yoga, Nutrition 101, pacing/adaptation/delegation

Session 5 - body scan, nutrition 101 continued, ergonomics

Session 6 - Mantra, exercise and pain, time management

Session 7 - Inner Healer, cognitive distortions

Session 8 – Tai chi, sleep and pain, vertical arrow

Session 9 - Forgiveness meditation, forgiveness steps from Luskin

Session 10 –  Mini-relaxation, communication, nutritional supplements

Session 11 – Imagery with a pain object

Session 12 – Mindfulness with pain – labeling sensations, Sarno

Session 13 – Imagery with Colored light, specific pain conditions, problem-solving

Session 14 – A Vision of Healing, Recap and Relapse Prevention

Links to the slide presentations can be found here