Cognitive therapy is a form of talk therapy that helps people identify and develop skills to change negative thoughts and behaviors. Cognitive therapy says that individuals create their own experiences, pain included. And by changing their negative thoughts and behaviors, people can change their awareness of pain and develop better-coping skills, even if the actual level of pain stays the same.
Cognitive therapy is most often used together with other methods of pain management. These remedies may include medications,
physical therapy, weight loss, massage, or in extreme cases, surgery. But among these various methods of pain control, cognitive therapy is often one of the most effective.