Strategies to Manage Common Characteristics of Chronic Pain

Dr. Samantha Levy, Ph.D. 20 August 2026

Part 1: The “Ground / Clear / Protect” Strategy for Sensitive Youth

There are common characteristics of young people who develop chronic pain disorders.

One characteristic is sensitivity. Typically, youths who experience chronic pain notice and absorb the emotions around them, whether consciously or not. They are sponges for emotion and more readily experience others’ feelings. They are the kids who notice the person in the room who is struggling.

They are particularly in tune with the emotions of people with whom they are close, such as family members. They notice changes in tone, body language, and verbal cues that let them know how others are feeling. This is one reason that, while you may feel you are not raising your voice, your child accuses you of yelling at them. They are sensitive to even slight changes in your volume.

For these youths, it is tough to take on so much emotion. This heightened sensitivity can cause feelings of overwhelm and anxiety, leading to shutting down. It is even more difficult at times to decipher which emotions are theirs and which they have absorbed from others.

Calming Strategies

This is one reason that I teach calming strategies to parents in my groups. While, of course, I hope to help the parents with their own stressors of parenting a child with chronic pain, I also want them to stay as calm and centered as possible for their child’s sake.

In blogs over the years, I have suggested many calming strategies, such as mindfulness, breathing, movement, and guided imagery. The strategy below, “Ground/Clear/Protect,” is particularly geared towards the sensitive youths who are emotional sponges. I hope you can teach these to your child—and use them for yourself because, often, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!

There are three steps:

Ground

The purpose is to connect your energy to the Earth and to the present tense, bringing you into the moment, and preventing over-stimulation and overwhelm. There are many ways this can be accomplished. Some include the following:

Sit or lie down with your eyes closed. Feel gravity gently pulling you down, connecting you to your body and to the Earth. Feel the way that whatever you are sitting on or lying on is holding you up. Feel how each part of your body makes contact with what you are sitting or lying on.
Feel your breath flowing in and out of your body. Feel the movement of your chest and belly as you breathe. Feel the air flowing in and out of your nostrils. Notice the temperature fluctuations of the breath, as it feels colder going in and warmer as you exhale.
Connect with nature by walking barefoot in the grass or focusing on nature around you, such as the trees, flowers, birds, and clouds.
Focus on one of your senses. Listen to all the sounds around you, both nearby and in the distance. Cup your hands over your ears and listen to the sounds you make with your mouth, which will be enhanced. Hold an object and describe it using all your senses—(except probably not taste!)—in minute detail.
Use the “5-4-3-2-1” grounding technique by identifying: 5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things you feel (such as items with different textures), 2 movements you can make, and 1 thing you smell.

Clear

The purpose is to release any negative or unwanted energy you may have absorbed. It is vital for those who take in others’ emotions to clear those feelings daily.

This clearing can be accomplished in whatever fashion works for a given individual, but the suggestions I typically give include:

Take a shower and imagine the water washing away feelings from others, especially negative emotions. Watch them go down the drain.
Take some deep breaths and visualize any unwanted energy being washed away or dissipating. Imagine that with each exhale, some of the emotion from others is flowing out of you. Set an intention to release those feelings out into the universe or back to their owners.
Blow soap bubbles and breathe unwanted feelings into the bubbles, which will carry them away. (In my previous blog on preventing and treating anxiety/panic attacks, I suggested that blowing bubbles is a great way to achieve calm through mindfulness.)

Protect

The purpose is to create a protective shield around your personal energy field. This is important in attempting to avoid taking in others’ emotions in the first place. Again, the young person can use their creativity to devise whatever works best for them. Some suggestions include:

Visualize a protective dome of light or energy surrounding you, with a barrier that prevents negativity from entering. Some kids like imagining the Harry Potter “Shield Charm” that Hermione uses in the forest.
Set an intention that only positive energy can enter.
Imagine that you are holding up an actual shield to protect you from the negative energy of others.

Sensitivity can be a beautiful attribute if it is experienced without feeling overwhelmed by emotions. Hopefully you and your child can use these techniques to clear unwanted emotions and connect to the present with calm and safety.

Check back for Part 2 of Dr. Levy’s “Strategies to Manage Common Characteristics of Chronic Pain—Harnessing Your Child’s Creativity in Guided Imagery Exercises”—posting on August 31st.

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Dr. Samantha Levy, Ph.D.

Dr. Samantha Levy, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist who received her Ph.D. from Georgia State University in the Child and Family specialty track. During her clinical, child centered internship at UCLA, she became involved with the Pediatric Pain Program. Subsequently, she obtained her postdoctoral training there. Depending on the specific situation, Dr. Levy works either with whole families, individual children/teens, or parents. She employs an array of psychological orientations (e.g. CBT, play therapy, mindfulness, hypnotherapy, ACT, IFS), to help the children/teens with their pain and any accompanying emotional issues. She helps the families understand the connection between the physical pain and emotional difficulties (mind/body connection). She teaches parenting skills and helps parents facilitate their child’s difficult, courageous journey back to functioning more fully in the world again. Dr. Levy runs the CHYP monthly open parent group and the CHYP small group parent groups.She helped establish the inaugural music therapy program at UCLA Medical Center and has been a member of the UCLA Pediatric Pain Program since 2007. She has a Master’s Degree from New York University in Music Therapy and a Bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University in Neuroanthropology and Latin American Studies. She has received various honors for her scholarship, research, and musicianship, including a Fulbright Fellowship, Susan Eliakim Siman Grant, New York University Scholarship, Justice Louis D. Brandeis Scholarship, and American Friends of Flamenco Scholarship. She has presented workshops and authored publications on music therapy and the neurobiological processes involved in pain, music perception, and emotions in the United States and internationally. She speaks English and Spanish and has a working knowledge of French and Hebrew. In addition to her clinical work as a therapist, she performs world music and facilitates community music sessions blending sacred, traditional, and contemporary global music.