1 September 2023

Breathworks marks Pain Awareness Month with free access to their Methods to Live Well with Pain & Illness course.

---

September is Pain Awareness Month, a time set out by The World Health Assembly (WHA) dedicated to raising public awareness and understanding of pain. 

One third of the world’s population is living with chronic pain today, and often they suffer in silence with a condition or disability that is invisible.

With pharmaceuticals and medical treatments failing to alleviate all cases of chronic pain, there is has been a shift from cure to care backed by research pointing to the efficacy of psychological interventions in reducing perceived levels of pain. As The Economist reports in their recent article, when an attitude of acceptance and empathy is brought to pain, it can be easier to manage; when mischaracterised or ignored, it can be worsened.

The Breathworks approach is self-management through mindfulness. Mindfulness-based Pain & Illness Management (MBPM) is developed from pain research, tried and tested programmes, and Vidyamala Burch's own experience of living with chronic pain since her teens. External research shows individuals who take the programme show clinically significant improvements in pain intensity, interference, depression, catastrophizing, self-efficacy and self-compassion. Since its conception in 2001, the approach has won awards, been recognised by The British Pain Society and the NHS, and has recently been awarded an OBE - given to Vidyamala on behalf of Breathworks services to pain management and wellbeing.

Vidyamala says the approach can be described as, “getting your mind to work with you rather than against you when your body hurts.”

Through the month of September, Breathworks will be hosting special events and sharing informative resources to help raise awareness around chronic pain and methods and tools that can help to alleviate symptoms to make life more manageable.

We will also be giving away our Methods to Live Well with Pain & Illness (usually £8.30) course for the month of September. The 10-day self-guided course is an introduction to training your body and mind to reclaim a fuller life when living with pain. 

You can access the course for free for the month of September here.

We invite you to connect with others like you on our free online hub, the Community of Practice where we host a special group for those 'Managing Pain & Illness' with meet-ups and helpful tips.

If you're struggling with pain, there is hope for a better life. We would love you to take that step with us today.