Patient advocacy: Using your story to create meaningful change for people with pain

Living with chronic pain can be overwhelming and isolating, but sharing your story with others has the power to influence a new understanding of pain and how to manage it, and can help with providing a voice for other people living with pain.

On this month’s episode of the Pain Waves podcast, we’re joined by Joletta Belton, a person with lived experience who has been advocating for people in pain since 2010. She shares her personal experiences and draws upon how she’s been able to redefine her ... See More story in a way that’s helped her manage pain, find meaning in life again, and increase awareness and understanding of pain among others.

Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Joletta's blog: https://www.mycuppajo.com/
- Joletta's recent Pain BC webinar on pain science and story: https://painbc.ca/health-professionals/webinars/making-sense-pain-through-science-and-story
- Endless Possibilites Initiative: http://www.epicolorado.org/
- Retrain Pain Foundation: https://www.retrainpain.org/

Literature references:
- Howard Brody's "My story is broken; can you help me fix it? Medical ethics and the joint construction of narrative": https://muse.jhu.edu/article/376891
- Bessel van der Kolk's "The Body Keeps the Score": https://www.psychotherapy.net/article/body-keeps-score-van-der-kolk
- Arthur Frank’s "The Wounded Storyteller": https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/106486.The_Wounded_Storyteller