People from all walks of life have discovered the life-changing benefits of self-managing pain effectively

I have just completed the pain management course online. It took me a while as l didn't some times feel like doing it. I'm glad l have done this, it has helped me with not to punish myself for not being able to do the activities l want to do or house work etc, negative thoughts don't help you, be kind to yourself. l personally pat my self on the back and say well done. The exercises, stretches and medications are great as l have trouble switching off. l say give it a go you - have nothing to lose.

I have found the course very helpful and interesting. And I would recommend it .

Stick with the course, I found it helpful and it did make me think more positive about my pain although didn’t stop it. The stretching exercises are brilliant, do the ones you can do. I definitely recommend completing the course.

I have really enjoyed this course, in particular the meditation and relaxation probably because I have been enjoying tai chi so much. During this time my Daughter has been at home from work so she has taken me in her car for lots of days out to surrounding areas we haven't been which has encouraged me to walk more even if it causes more pain. It is actually worth it for the happiness and memories. I have also spent lots of time with my older Daughter and children and even though it's painful to pick the youngest up onto my lap it's worth it :) I feel lots of things combined with the course have helped me to enjoy life more at the moment, the only thing I'm a bit concerned about is the stretching, maybe because at tai chi everything is done very gently and because I was advised to stretch so much for my tight calves and it actually made my Planter Fasciitis much worse over 8 months of stretching. I won't rule it out if I can do it very gently. Thank you all for your help, Kim

I have found some aspects of the course,very helpful. I have also found some parts just to be common sense,but overall it has been useful, sometimes no matter what I do I cannot ease the pain.

I found the relaxation techniques more helpful than anything else

As a sufferer of chronic pain for over 15 years, caused by fibromyalgia. I began to feel increasingly frustrated, disappointed and let down by the lack of help and advice from Doctors. I would have been given pain medication that didn't relieve my pain, but left me with side effects. Then I'd be given antidepressants for my mood, but I'd explain my mood was caused by my chronic pain. I just felt like, If there was something that could help with my pain. The antidepressants didn't help and again just gave me side effects. When I was told about this Pathway Through Pain Programme, I liked the fact that it was something I could do online at my own pace. When I actually started the course, listening to the Healthcare Specialists on the course was really interesting. I liked the fact that you could watch/listen to each of the steps and if needed listen to it again, before moving to the next step. I can honestly say that each step I completed left me feeling positive and ready to hear the next. Throughout the course I have been following the advice and more than happy, to continue to put it into use for my everyday life. The course has given me a clearer understanding of chronic pain and pain management and the effect my thoughts can have on my pain levels. You get gentle stretching , relaxation, sleep meditation exercises and more along with useful advice. All the things I have never had access to before. I now feel more confident that I have the tools to help me. I wish I had done this course before.

I have found this course really useful in how to manage pain and relaxation, it’s very informative and helpful.

This Course has given me insight and made me stop to think before my mind goes into over drive. it has made me realise, that Pain is not Damage, and i have developed several mantras such as, "In Calmness, you find Peace and Serenity", and "You can do this, just pace yourself". the course is well thought through and gives a personal touch with the different specialists speaking to you. The Relaxations and Meditations I have found very, very useful to me personally.

I personally found that the course as a whole was informative and constructive in all the points that arose. I must admit as a sufferer with back pain for some 30 years I have attempted to perform quite a few of the sections that were proposed. After saying that I would definitely recommend to anyone with this disability to indulge in the program. Mr. P. Graham

I have found the course very information and interactive, it makes you think about your situation and how you can implement things to help yourself more. Living with pain is very hard when you have the feelings of exclusion and fear constantly but knowing that there is a team to support you does confirm that you are not alone. The course allows you to complete it at your own pace and to go back and revisit as often as you like. The gentle reminders are a good idea also as you could be having a bad day then a reminder email pops up and you focus on something else of which takes your mind off the way you are feeling. Regardless as to what stage you may be on your pain management journey I personally feel that this course is suitable for anyone at any stage and you will definitely take something from it and use it in your daily life. Thank you to all of those involved in pulling this together, you may not know but your work is fully appreciated.

Helpful in putting my pain in context and giving guidance on how to cope with it.

I was extremely sceptical about this course but I have been pleasantly surprised. I can now see the link between my thoughts and pain. I have periods of time now with little pain although I did have a flare up which I found difficult to deal with but I got through it and I understand why it happened. The most useful bit was the Guided Meditations - they really work! And I now say 'pain is not damage' and 'pace yourself' alot to myself. I am quite surprised at how well it all works. Thank you.

I have this course very interesting and beneficial. Very well paced and has helped me think that I am not alone. It has made me think about how I do things and how I responded. I am in more control of my pain and better placed to pace myself. I have enjoyed the various sessions including meditation and stretching excercises. I have been restricted in doing the excercises due to new problems with a hip and shoulders.

Thanks to this course I feel I understand how to manage my chronic pain.

The course helped me to come to terms with pain and be less anxious, other than that it hasn't really made any dramatic changes. I think because much of my pain is from nerve damage and compression which is very difficult to control. I liked particularly the meditaton and relaxation exercises which I would recommend to anyone to try as I found them.very helpful.

The course Is very well constructed and I wish I had been offered this 5 years ago instead of being told by my doctor that there’s nothing more they can do so I need to just accept the pain and live with it. This is a much more positive approach and could help people get their lives back again rather than feel abandoned by the NHS.

I was very happy to take part in this course. I found it useful and informative, and I have started to put the things which I have learnt into practice. It takes some work and commitment, but it beats reaching for a pill every time. I am looking forward to controlling my pain in a more natural and positive way in the future. Many thanks - Jennifer

I would recommend Pathway Through Pain to anyone who suffers with pain!

If I’ve learned anything from my time with the pain clinic is that always take any help offered and make it work for you. There is never a one size fits all approach to any chronic illness and all we can do is take each day as it comes and try your absolute best to incorporate any of the coping mechanisms laid out from the course. If I know I’m trying my best then I know I’m doing all I can to make an awful illness understandable to those inside my support system and accept that I really don't have much control over the good or bad days but I do have control of how I deal with them.