A. The CD includes general relaxation skills for living with chronic pain, guided instructions to relax around, into and then through the pain, cognitive skills (changing what you think about your pain) and how to move your attention away from the pain.

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2.  What type of voice is the CD recorded with?  Is it a man’s voice or a woman’s voice?

A.  A woman’s voice, soft and serene.

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3.  What kind of chronic pain is it used for?

A.  It is designed for any type of chronic pain and can be part of your overall pain managment strategy.

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4.   How long is your CD "The Art of Living With Chronic Pain”?

A.  Approximately 70 minutes

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5.   Why does it cost $24.95?

A. The Art of Living With Chronic Pain (the CD and accompanying booklet) took years of first-hand experience with chronic pain, then years of exploring options for living with pain, formal education of the psychological aspects of pain and then synthesizing the information on dealing with pain. A great value.

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6.   What are cognitive skills for living with chronic pain?

A.  Cognitive skills involve changing your thinking concerning your pain.

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7.    What do you mean distract yourself from pain?

A.  Instead of focusing your attention on your pain, shift your attention and focus on other things. Pain is always trying to get our attention, and while sometimes this is a good thing, at other times it is very useful to be able to shift attention away from the pain.  Pain management requires having many skills to choose from.

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8.    Will listening to the CD take my pain away?

A.  The skills you will learn from the CD, “The Art of Living With Chronic Pain,” will become part of your pain management strategy. The hope is that your suffering will decrease.

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9.    Has the author had chronic pain?

A. Yes

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10.    How did you come up with these ideas?

A.    My ability to manage my pain was awful.  I was desperate to find something other than surgery and drugs, so I turned to biofeedback where I first experienced deep muscle relaxation and the concept of responding to the pain rather than reacting to it. I then explored deeper levels of consciousness through a process called Guided Imagery and Music with a therapist where I discovered relaxing around the pain, into the pain and through the pain. I also recognized that I was in an unhealthy relationship with the pain and began to look at how to bring balance back into that pain relationship.

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11.    How long has the author had pain?

A.    She has had chronic pain for over 30 years.

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12.    Will your pain management techniques work on my kind of pain?

A.    Our powerful yet simple to implement pain management techniques were designed so that all chronic pain sufferers can use it.

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13.    What do you mean by forming a relationship with the pain?

A.    Since the pain was my only constant companion, I realized I had already developed a relationship with the pain. Now I needed to bring some balance to my pain relationship since the pain was calling all the shots.  I was unable to manage the pain until our relationship improve.

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14.    What training in dealing with chronic pain does the author have?

A.    Andrea has an M.A. in Counseling with her thesis on the Psychological Aspects of Chronic Pain. She also has many years of personal experience managing her chronic pain.

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15.    Is the CD based on acceptable pain management techniques?

A.    Yes - relaxation, imagery, cognitive skills and distraction skills are accepted in the pain community.

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16.    Can I stop going to my doctor who is treating my chronic pain?

A.    You must consult your physician to make this decision and keep the currnet component of your pain managment program that are benefitial to you.

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17.    Can I stop taking my pain medication?

A.    Consult your physician.  Remember, medication can be a useful part of your pain managment program.

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18.    Do I need to listen to the CD all at once?

A.    No, listen to whatever part(s) you feel comfortable with at this time.

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19.    What if I fall asleep during the CD?

A.    It’s fine, you probably needed it. As you know, chronic pain can be tiring.

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20.    What is the author doing now?

A.    Andrea is beginning to write on issues facing folks with chronic pain. She also is a guidance counselor working with K-5 children helping them develop skills for living.

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21.   Do you offer a discount for multiple purchases of the CD "The Art of living with Chronic Pain"?

A.    Yes we would gladly speak to you about our multiple discount offerings for the CD and booklet, "The Art of living with Chronic Pain".

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