Reduction of pain symptoms through relaxation training and stress management techniques in headache patients Christidis, D. A., Passalidou, C., and Nasiopoulou, G. Department of Psychology Aristotle University of Thessaloniki e-mail: dimitri@relax-now.gr Our clinical experience with headache (HA) sufferers suggests that these patients, beyond their HA complaints, exhibit: Increased levels of psychophysiological arousal ( = sympathetic activity = stress), detected with the use of psychological instruments (STAI, STAXI, BDI, etc)1 and physiological techniques (EMG, GSR, etc)2 and Coexistent psychological (depression, helplessness, anger, anxiety, etc) and physical (ulcers, low back pain, sleep disturbances, etc) symptomatology3. Our hypothesis, in treating HA sufferers, is that the underlying increased sympathetic arousal causes their HA’s as well as their other / coexistent symptoms (that do not present as primary complaints). Thus, training them in systematic relaxation and stress management techniques, as the essential part of our cognitive-behavioral psychophysiological approach, would result in parallel improvement of this comorbidity. Purpose To investigate the usefulness of relaxation training and stress management techniques in relieving various pain symptoms, other than headache, reported by headache patients. Stress and Psychophysiological Disorders Questionnaire (SPDQ) Investigates 52 psychophysiological symptoms (frequency and intensity) that relate to increased sympathetic arousal 5 of these symptoms refer to pain complaints Method: Stress and Psychophysiological Disorders Questionnaire (SPDQ): was used for tracing and recording (intensity & frequency) of coexistent psychophysiological symptoms and complaints. 17 headache patients completed the SPDQ before and after their training in systematic relaxation and stress management techniques Training was provided in: one four hour group seminar on the neurophysiology of stress, as it pertains to headache pathophysiology and four individual meetings that aimed at providing further training in relaxation and stress management techniques. Results: Besides the general decrease of the total number of psychophysiological symptoms t (16)= 2,617, p<0,05, there were decreases in isolated pain symptoms as well: frequency of neck pain t(16) = 2,967, p<0,01, frequency of stomach pain t(16) = 2,492, p<0,05 intensity of neck pain t (70) = 4,146, p<0,005 Sample: 17 headache patients Age: 18-46 mean 25,12±7,20 yr. Gender: 3 men, 14 women Education: 1 high-school 16 university Marital status: 3 married, 4 single 10 in a relationship Smokers: 11 yes, 6 no HEADACHE Type: 9 Tension 2 Migraine 6 Mixed Conclusion It is concluded that the reduction of stress levels serves as an indicator on the putative role of sympathetic arousal on pain, and that sympathetic arousal decreases can offer a therapeutic effect on pain symptoms. References Χρηστίδης, Δ.Α., Πασαλίδου, Χ., Νασιοπούλου, Γ., Λεβεντοπούλου, Ν. & Λεβή, Ν. (2004). Η Θετική Επίδραση των Τεχνικών Διαχείρισης του Στρες και των Ασκήσεων Χαλάρωσης στις Κεφαλαλγίες. 1ο Πανελλήνιο συνέδριο Ψυχολογίας της Υγείας. Αθήνα. Χρηστίδης, Δ. Α., Νασιοπούλου, Γ., Πασαλίδου, Χ., Λεβεντοπούλου, Ν., & Λεβή, Ν. (2004). Η Κεφαλαλγία Τύπου Τάσης και η Ημικρανία ως εκφάνσεις συμπαθητικής διέγερσης. 1ο Πανελλήνιο συνέδριο Ψυχολογίας της Υγείας. Αθήνα. Mongini, F., Poma, M., Bava, M., & Fabbri, G. (1997). Psychosomatic symptoms in different types of headache and facial pain (Abstract). Cephalalgia, 17: 274.