Posted on July 31, 2020
Psychologist publishes book to help manage chronic pain
Dr. Evan Parks can now add “book author” to his list of contributions to help people understand and manage their pain.
After its July 28 release, “Chronic Pain Rehabilitation: Active Pain Management that Helps You Get Back to the Life You Love” rose to the top of the self-help and stress management categories on Amazon.
Parks, a psychologist with Mary Free Bed’s Pain Rehabilitation program, said he hopes health care professionals will find the book provides a new way of “conceptualizing pain and pain management that includes a mind-body connection.”
“After seeing the amazing work done by the Pain Rehab team at Mary Free Bed and being a part of these life transformations, I wanted to tell the story of pain rehabilitation,” Parks said. “I want to help frustrated health care providers who don’t know what to do with their chronic pain patients besides prescribe opioids, give injections and recommend surgery.”
The book also is meant to provide people with chronic pain information to reduce their discomfort and regain control of their lives.
“I enjoy providing people with a framework for understanding what’s wrong and what needs to change in a way that’s non-judgmental and easy to understand,” Parks said of working with patients in Mary Free Bed’s program. “I enjoy seeing skeptical patients start seeing small changes in their functioning and mood in the first weeks. The relief that people have after years of struggle with chronic pain is exciting to see and be a part of.”
Parks has shared his knowledge on the subject as a psychologist at Mary Free Bed since 2017 and as a contributor to the Pain Rehabilitation blog at Psychology Today. He also created a Pain Rehab podcast where listeners can practice exercises designed to help calm their nervous systems and manage their pain.
Read his latest contribution in Psychology Today here.
