I am in pain management, but am seeking to be as pharmaceutical-free as possible. In addition to transverse myelitis (possibly MS) I have Crohn's. Both are inflammatory and one will trigger the other, keeping me working nearly full-time to maintain a balance and keep my symptoms in check. I currently use Norco and medical marijuana for pain and spasm control for both diseases. I am about to ask if I could switch to ultram, but that would be through my neuro, not my pain doc.

I see a PhD neuropsych and have been working out of Jon Kabat-Zinn's book Full Catastrophe Living. Zinn's mindfulness training is employed for both physical pain and PTSD. I had already developed my own breathing exercise, teaching myself to do it automatically when triggered by certain music I like. Spoken relaxation tapes drive me crazy. I embrace this approach, but have real difficulty digging in a book, and it is taking me some time to cover the material.

My first pain visit was more like talk-therapy than a physical exam, so I suspect my experience has been slightly different than yours may be.