Of course, one must first clarify what is meant by getting better. Those who successfully master pain self-management usually feel that they are better in many ways despite continued pain and disability. As discussed earlier in this Handbook, there are many ways to improve one's life despite having chronic pain. Acquiring new knowledge and skills, developing more healthy and positive attitudes, eliminating unhealthy or self-destructive habits, improving the quality of your relationships with family and friends, and spiritual growth are all ways of getting better.
But what about the pain and disability itself? Does acceptance mean that one has to give up all hope of ever getting rid of the chronic pain itself? The answer to that question is, not necessarily. When we emphasize acceptance, we are primarily referring to acceptance of today's pain and disability. The fact is, no one knows for certain what the future holds. In this section, I would like to consider two mechanisms for genuine recovery from the chronic pain itself - medical cure and spontaneous remission.
Medical Cure
First of all, it is important to keep in mind that acceptance of your chronic pain condition should only be within the context of the current state of medical knowledge. The reality is that pain is an active area of medical research. All over the world, medical researchers are studying various aspects of pain because there is a great deal we still do not know about pain itself and the many medical conditions associated with chronic pain. Medical researchers are constantly looking for new and better ways to treat chronic pain sufferers. Therefore, it should be remembered that there is always the possibility that a particular discovery or medical breakthrough in the future will lead to a cure for your particular pain condition.
Spontaneous Remission
The other means of recovery from pain is something doctors have called "spontaneous remission." All this means is that some people get significantly better on their own and doctors don't really understand how this occurs. That's why they call it "spontaneous." The fact is, there are some people who have overcome just about every major medical problem despite being told by doctors there was nothing more that could be done for them. Some of the most dramatic and well-documented cases have involved spontaneous recovery from cancer. Some people who have been given very bleak prognoses by their doctors have actually recovered from cancer.
We have had participants in our pain groups who have been told by their doctors following an injury that they would never walk again, and eventually proved their doctors wrong. Perhaps you are aware of someone who overcame a very bleak medical prognosis and in a sense fooled the doctors. Although it is within the realm of possibility that you could wake up one morning and find the pain completely gone, the likelihood of a truly spontaneous recovery is very low. Actually, most cases of so-called "spontaneous remission" are not considered spontaneous at all by the person who actually recovers. Instead, the person usually attributes the recovery to some event, or something they did, or something that was done to them. The person may attribute his or her recovery to a significant change in their life situation, a change in diet, a change in attitudes, adoption of a particular unconventional healing approach, or through spiritual/religious means such as prayer, faith, and divine intervention. In fact, those who have studied the phenomenon of spontaneous remission report that in most cases the person made a significant change from their previous ways of thinking, behaving, and living. Recently one of our former pain program participants stopped by my office and reported that his chronic back pain had completely disappeared. He attributed this to the fact that he had learned to let go of stress and had found a new job.
In other words, the recovery is only considered "spontaneous" from the doctor's standpoint since it occurs outside the realm of standard medical practice. Recovery from physical problems outside of medical treatment can and do occur. This is not to suggest that you should spend all your time and energy looking for some non-medical cure. Rather, you should keep in mind that there is a lot about the body, mind, and spirit that is beyond the current scope of scientific understanding.
So to answer the original question, Yes, there is Reason to Hope. The challenge is to maintain hope for a better future, while doing everything you can to take good care of yourself today.