Pain is a good and normal feeling. It provides information that some part of you needs attention, protection and healing. Chronic pain however is not a good thing, it is exhausting, debilitating, and depressing, and can overtake your entire life.

Chronic pain is defined as pain that persists for longer than 3 months though for many it continues for very much longer. Indeed as many as one in five Australians have pain as their constant companion.

The main causes of pain are medical conditions such as cancer or arthritis, injuries, and surgery however knowing the cause doesn’t always help. There may be no remedy, or the pain may continue past the cause being cured. For about one in three cases of chronic pain the cause remains simply unknown.

Surprisingly not everyone that has chronic pain seeks help, however for most people in pain the first line of help is their GP. This can be an important step as medically prescribed medications can target specific types of pain and in turn improve things like sleep and appetite.

There is however issues associated with medicative solutions worth being mindful of. Firstly it is important when using medication to use it regularly as prescribed. If the pain is well managed the temptation to take larger doses and risk greater side effects is reduced.

Other researched issues associated with relying on medication to manage pain include that long-term use of medication has serious side effects. In addition the medication may lose its effectiveness over time as you are habituated to its effect.

In addition studies have concluded that the reliance on medication undermines the opportunity to develop internal self-management strategies. It as been shown that using the power of your mind through counselling and hypnosis will improve a person's outlook and the way they emotionally cope. Moreover mind power can actually reduce the level of pain that is experienced.

Chronic pain is crucial to address. Medicine is a valuable port of call however it is not the final solution. Learning internal psychological skills to deal with chronic pain is an important opportunity.

Martin Hunter Jones is an honorary life member of the Australian Counselling Association. He has a practice on the Northern Beaches. Phone 9973 4997.