Why Do We Need a Trauma-Informed Approach to Pain?

Health and social care professionals need to constantly evolve to stay relevant. Increased appreciation for the broad influences on the individual pain experience can drive introspection regarding these professionals' thinking and practices. Historically, theories describing the complexity of pain have often been too simplistic – and a narrow focus on the biomedical approach has been hard to resist. As such, a better understanding of the sensitivity of the nervous system and the body’s response to threat or danger seems important across all areas of healthcare. Similarly, the entirety of one's life experiences are likely to contribute to a susceptibility in experiencing pain.

A parallel body of work has been exploring issues of trauma – not traumatic injury – but the protective response of the body to distressing and overwhelming life events. This presentation brought the current concepts of pain and trauma together - and drew attention to those challenged by pain and whose trauma is under recognized.

Participants include:
Dominic Aldington, FFPMRCA, FRCA
Lester Jones, PhD