PAIN: A Musical Experience

What's our problem?

Chronic pain is the biggest burden in US healthcare with $600 billion+ in direct and indirect (such as lost workdays and disability claims) costs per year.

In 2016, approximately 20% of U.S. adults (approximately 50 million people!) reported having long-term pain, while 8% (20 million) had high-impact pain stemming from headaches, arthritis pain, and neurogenic pain.

Back pain is among the most common, with 16 million of all adults in the US report experiencing it. Worldwide, back pain is the leading cause of disability.

In Bahram Jam's experience

During his 30+ year career as a physiotherapist, Bahram Jam tried his best to help his patients who were dealing with persistent pain.

He attended conferences and courses, read books, listened to podcasts, and read countless peer-review journal articles. He even teaches his own continuing education courses about pain!

But he still wanted to do more. 

So he has decided to write a musical - a musical about pain!

This is a story about PAIN; specifically persistent pain. PAIN in the body that does not go away no matter how hard one tries and irrespective of how many doctors and therapists are consulted.

In the theatrical production, PAIN is an abstract character and the narrator of the show goes back and forth speaking to the audience and the other performers on stage. The actors and performers will be individuals with real lived experiences of pain and disability.

Treating PAIN is a bad way to cure PAIN

We all have only 2 goals in life; to either escape PAIN or to move towards PLEASURE. This makes sense except for the fact that the relationship between PAIN & PLEASURE is complex and intertwined.

PAIN is envious of PLEASURE. PAIN certainly understands why people try to escape it and wish to move towards PLEASURE, but PAIN feels underappreciated when in fact it is even more vital for health and survival than PLEASURE.

PAIN has only one option when it feels unheard or unaccepted. Every attempt that is made to frantically escape it, it persists or becomes even louder.

If one is moving towards a perceived PLEASURE with the conscious or subconscious intention of escaping PAIN, the PLEASURE experienced, is eventually converted to PAIN.

If one frequently focuses on escaping PAIN, the nervous system senses it in danger and remains in a constant state of fight or flight, which only magnifies PAIN.

Treating PAIN is a bad way to cure PAIN.

Positively altering our relationship with PAIN will inevitably positively alter our relationship with OURSELVES, as PAIN is always and only within us.