During the last two decades Dr. Grinstead has published a number of articles concerning effective treatment for people with chronic pain and coexisting disorders including addiction. His articles have appeared in California Therapist Magazine, Professional Counselor Magazine, Addiction-Professional Magazine, The Gorski-CENAPS© Resource Guide, and New Times - Recovery Newspaper for NCADD in the Silicon Valley. These articles can be used for educational purposes for both healthcare providers and pain patients. Any use of this information other than for education, without permission from Dr. Grinstead is prohibited. For training, consultation, or coaching services in Addiction-Free Pain Management™ click here. Please check back for new additions.
Latest 10 Articles
Spirituality and Chronic Pain Management
Posted on: Jan 2010
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II Chronic pain is often misunderstood and undertreated. In addition to the biopsychosocial impact a chronic pain condition frequently has on a person, spiritual crisis can accompany the condition as well. Long-term chronic pain is a body-mind-spiritual problem that requires a multifaceted solution. Complementary spiritual practices are necessary components of any effective chronic pain management plan. Many people have found spiritual interventions like the traditions of prayer and meditation to contribute to the...
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Chronic Pain Management Needs More Than a Quick Fix
Posted on: Nov 2009
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II If you watched any amount of TV the past few years you may have noticed a significant increase in commercials hyping prescription medication. At the same time prescription drug abuse and addiction is on the rise. We live in a quick fix society so when something goes wrong we look for the fastest way to remedy the situation. The Problem: Better Living Through Chemistry When someone has a headache they “pop a pill” and hopefully the headache goes away. When their back starts...
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Effective Stress Techniques for Chronic Pain Management
Posted on: Sep 2009
Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II In today’s busy world it’s very important to incorporate effective stress management tools into your daily living. We hear it all the time; phrases like “I’m stressed out” or “this stress is killing me.” This is obviously true for people living with medical conditions like heart disease or diabetes. And, if you’re living with chronic pain, it’s even more important because increased stress leads to increased pain. Now stress can be a blessing and a curse. We need...
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12 Personal Action Steps for Chronic Pain & Medication Management
Posted on: Aug 2009
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II First of all, I want to emphasize that the information that follows can be used by anyone who wants to avoid prescription medication abuse or addiction problems, not just those already in recovery. Nonetheless, during my work with people over the past 27, I have seen far too many relapse because of poor medication management plans. If someone wants to avoid medication abuse or addiction they need a very specific type of primary treatment that addresses coexisting psychological disorders including addiction, as well as relapse...
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Moving Beyond Anticipatory Pain for Effective Chronic Pain Management
Posted on: Jul 2009
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II If you’re living with a chronic pain condition you may have noticed that sometimes you are so fearful about conducting basic tasks of daily living that you become immobilized. It can also manifest with overwhelming anxiety, so much so, that you trigger a phenomenon that actually amplifies your perception of pain. We call this Anticipatory Pain. Because you believe that you are going to hurt, you can activate the physical pain system just by thinking about doing something that you believe will cause you to hurt. You start...
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Depression Management with the Chronic Pain Patient
Posted on: Jun 2009
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II Challenges in the Treatment of Chronic Pain and Depression In reality not everyone living with chronic pain develops depression; however it is one of the most common coexisting psychological disorders associated with someone facing the challenges of living with a chronic pain condition. One of the biggest problems in treating people with depression and chronic pain is a misdiagnosis. This occurs for two reasons: (1) a person living with chronic pain does not even realize they have a depressive...
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Chronic Pain Management — The Role of Buprenorphine
Posted on: May 2009
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II There’s an effective medication for both opiate addiction treatment and/or maintenance that is FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved. The medication is buprenorphine, an opiate agonist/antagonist, which is very effective pain medication for appropriate patients. It has been used in chronic pain management for many years—mostly in its injectable form. Buprenorphine is available in the United States as sublingual (dissolved under the tongue) medication and is many times more potent than injected morphine....
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Chronic Pain Management and the Role of Sleep Disturbances
Posted on: Apr 2009
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II Over the years one problem common to most patients undergoing chronic pain management are sleep problems. For some it is minor inconvenience, but for others it can become debilitating. According to the National Sleep Foundation two-thirds of people living with chronic pain experience sleep problems, whereas only about 15 percent of the normal population has difficulty falling asleep. Compounding the problem is the fact that some chronic pain medications also disrupt sleeping patterns!...
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The Role of Anxiety in Chronic Pain Management
Posted on: Mar 2009
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CAADC-II It is not uncommon for a person experiencing a pain condition to begin to wonder if the pain will ever go away, or if they’ll ever get better. These types of thoughts lead to anxiety. Although most people believe that their anxiety will subside when the pain goes away, the anxiety frequently leads to a significant increase in pain perception. This results in a vicious cycle of pain, anxiety, more pain, and more anxiety. In most cases, anxiety about pain is more likely to occur in the acute pain stage while depression...
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Pain is Inevitable but Suffering is Optional When Living with a Chronic Pain Condition
Posted on: Jan 2009
By: Dr. Stephen F. Grinstead, LMFT, ACRPS, CADC-II Not only have I been working as a therapist and trainer in the field of chronic pain and coexisting disorders for more than 25 years, I have been living with my own chronic pain condition for over 27 years. I still have periodic episodes of pain flare ups where I need to put into practice all that I’ve learned and like everyone living with a chronic pain condition some days are better than others. But even on the bad days, one thing is certain – pain does not control my...
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