This is a professional poster created by an honors student at South Dakota State University. It is part of an independent study project about the potential usefulness of literature and the Internet as coping mechanisms for pain.

1. Creative Coping
Coping with Chronic Pain via Literature and the Internet
For more information, go to the project’s blog at: http://creativecoping.blogspot.com Project by: Leah Alsaker, with special thanks to faculty advisor Dr. Woodard .
Background on
Chronic Pain
▪Chronic pain is defined as constant or
persistent pain lasting 12 weeks or more.
▪ 100 million Americans suffer from chronic
pain (AAPM).
▪ Studies have shown that expressive writing
helps people cope with traumatic events,
stressful problems, and physical pain (“Science
Shows”).
The Causes of Chronic Pain
▪ Chronic pain remains largely a mystery
▪ Chronic pain is occasionally triggered by
injuries, but not always
▪ The gate control theory is one of the leading
explanations about chronic pain(“Modern”)
My Reflections
Through Poetry
Lessons
My migraines have taught me
what it means to have pain that stabs
at every sudden noise,
every bright light,
and they have shown me beauty
those rare pain-free days
when I laugh and skip with energy.
They have taught me the grey haze of isolation
as I sit, ice packs strapped to my head,
typing an essay through a deluge of pain,
and they have shown me that,
even when my limbs tremble with fatigue,
my heart glows with more strength than I know.
They have taught me how it feels
when friends shake their heads,
refusing to believe in a disorder they cannot see,
and they have taught
me the beauty of empathy
glowing in another’s eyes.
Most of all, my migraines have taught me
that, sometimes, in the darkness of pain
each flicker of hope, each glimmer of strength
burns all the brighter through the gloom.
Blog Screen Shots
Home Page
Resource Page
Project Components
Original Vision:
▪Survey chronic pain patients about the
potential usefulness of reading and writing
literature as a mechanism for coping with
chronic pain
▪ Create a blog community for sharing writing
about pain
Actual Project Components:
▪Survey
▪Blog with resources and relevant quotes
▪Personal poetry and reflections
▪ Discussion of existing pain narratives
▪Synthesis paper (to be completed over the
summer)
Reasons for Pursuing Project:
▪ Personal experience
▪ Ineffectiveness of medication for certain
types of chronic pain (Steiner)
▪ High rate of isolation and depression among
chronic pain patients (See quotes and survey
results.)
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” ~Anne Bradstreet
Pain Narratives Discussed
Common Themes:
▪ Making meaning through writing
▪ Creating an identity beyond the pain
▪ Gaining a greater sense empathy through pain
▪ Coping with the emotional pain that usually
comes with chronic physical pain
Poets: Anne Bradstreet, Emily Dickenson, Jane
Austen, Dorothy Wordsworth, Rodney Jones,
Linda Martinson
Books: All in my Head, Battle for Grace
Quotes from Survey Respondents
Quotes about Isolation and Pain:
▪“Most people do not want to hear about the pain”
▪“I look healthy, so people don’t understand.”
Quotes about Reading the Pain Experiences of Others:
▪“It helps when you know you’re not alone ….when dealing
with pain.”
▪ “I don’t feel like such a whiner, or somehow broken” (when
he/she reads what others in chronic pain have written)
Works Cited:
“AAPM Facts and Figures on Chronic Pain." American Academy of Pain Medicine. The
American Academy of Pain Medicine, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.
"Gate Control Theory." Bio Freeze. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.
Grate, Rachel. "Science Shows Something Surprising About People Who Love to
Write." Arts.Mic. Mic Network Inc., 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.
"Modern Theories of Chronic Pain." Spine-health. Veritas Health, n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.
Steiner, Andy. "Chronic Pain Sufferers Find Prescription Painkillers Ineffective for Long-Term
Relief." MinnPost. MinnPost, 31 Oct. 14. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.
The Link Between
Chronic Pain and
Isolation:
Survey Results
▪ Surveys Sent To: 11 organizations involved with pain
management, plus many individuals
▪ Number of Surveys Completed: 12
Do you ever feel isolated or
misunderstood because of your chronic
pain?
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Effects of Reading
About the Chronic Pain
Experiences of Others:
Writing:
Results: N/A (There was not a significant number of
respondents who said they wrote creatively, so
results cannot be calculated.)
Does reading what others have
written about their pain help you feel
less misunderstood or isolated?
Yes
No
Sometimes
Other Pages: published writing, survey, page about
page, and relevant quotes with commentary