Chronic Pain, Creativity, Grief and Loss - Pets Counsellors

Chronic Pain, Creativity, Grief and Loss - Pets

Chronic pain brings hundreds of people to therapy every week. Many physical and psychological issues can cause chronic pain and it is important to rule out any medical causes and get treatment by speaking to a physician.

Some people experience chronic pain as the result of untreated emotional overwhelm, unexpressed anger, depression or grief. Symptoms of chronic pain typically include headaches; muscle tension, pain or fatigue;  shooting nerve pains, and tension in the back, neck and shoulders.

Many people with chronic pain disorder are reluctant to explore the emotional causes of their pain for fear of being told that they are inventing the symptoms. However, true somaticizing is a very real condition in which the emotions are unable to leave the body.

Another reason why people are loathe to admit the emotional roots of their pain, is that they fear that there would be no medical cure. Chronic pain with an emotional root requires that they confront the emotions that have been hidden away, and this can be challenging.

Therapists and psychologists who do  chronic pain therapy offer a confidential and safe environment in which people can explore pent-up emotions and as a result experience short term and long term relief. Symptoms caused by long term emotional build-up may require long-term treatment and due to the physical changes, some medical intervention and active physiotherapy is often very important as well.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who works with chronic pain you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Expressive arts or creativity therapy uses art as a therapy. The end result is not always of great importance in art or creative arts therapy, but rather the process of creation. Imagination is a potent tool for healing, and in artistic therapy, there are many different ways for people to express themselves.

Therapists that use the artistic methods believe that creative expression taps into the imagination, allowing people to examine their emotions, feelings and even the body and thought processes. Some of the models used in creativity therapy, include dance, drama, psychodrama, music, art, horticulture, and writing.

Creative Arts therapy has the ability to foster healing, development and human growth.It can help a person of any age to reclaim their capacity for creative expression about individual and collective experiences in artistic form.

Through creativity expression, an experienced therapist will help you to manage emotional and physical problems, using a range of creative activities. Art therapy provides an avenue for the client to explore emotional conflicts and to increase self-awareness. Expression therapy helps a person to express unspoken and usually unconscious issues, allowing for those issues to be expressed in a safe, nurturing environment.

During therapy, the therapist and the client will move freely between the different models, preferring the intermodal approach to facilitate deeper exploration. It enables the therapist to explore a wide range of emotions through different art forms, from journaling, to painting, dancing, drama, poetry, phototherapy and a range of traditional artforms. Evidence has shown that it is helpful in a range of circumstances, from helping with emotions related to diagnosis of an illness, to dealing with grief or post traumatic stress disorder.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who offers creativity therapy to address your emotional issues you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

Grief and loss of a beloved pet can be as traumatic as that of a human loved one, whether the pet had to be euthanized or died of natural causes. However, society tends to pour scorn on the fact that someone would publicly display their grief. In turn, the pet owner would try to hide the fact that they are grieving and that causes even more stress, which in turn delays the healing process.

Pets often become a part of the family and play a crucial role in the lives of their caretakers. They tend to soothe the emotional and physical healing processes of humans like nothing else can. Therapists understand that, and that's why they now make counselling services available to pet owners who are experiencing grief and loss.

It is common to feel pain, grief and depression at the death of your friend and confidant. A therapist who offers grief counselling for pet owners going through the loss of a beloved pet will have an empathetic approach to your emotions. He or she will help you discover practical ways in which you can deal with your emotions.

Communication is important, while expression is the key to healing. Whether you decide to opt for individual counselling or group therapy sessions, you will find that you are better able to deal with the loss of your dear pet with the help of therapy. It will help you work through your emotions of anger, loss and depression and in return, you will be able to also help other people who are going through the same experience.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who offers grief and loss issues therapies or counselling to address the loss of your pet and related issues, you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.

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Norma Hoeppner

M.S.W., RSW
In private practice since 2007, Norma has been a dynamic clinical therapist across diverse health settings since 1989. Currently she practices with Clear Counselling Inc. in Vancouver, as well as an office through... Read more