The Mental Side of Surgery and Recovery: Interview With Dr. Warren Reich

Getting injured, surgery, and the process of recovery, to put it mildly, is psychologically draining. It involves a loss in a multiplicity of facets of life. One form of this loss is feeling at a loss when it comes to what to do mentally when preparing for when we have become injured, are preparing for surgery, or are going through the recovery process. Recently, I spoke to social psychologist Dr. Warren Reich. He is currently a professor at Hunter College and has published work on identity and well-being, mental health, and youth-crime recidivism. He holds a Ph.D. from Rutgers University in social psychology. Dr. Reich had beneficial insights. However, it has been some time since he has looked at the literature/research that has been done on the psychological factors that go into surgery, injuries, and recovery. Here are a few important practical takeaways from the psychological literature before getting into the interview:

Recovery-Stress Balance:

Specifically for athletes, injury is often seen as the accumulation of physiological stress. This is the reason why athletes deload, take days off and prioritize sleep and nutrition. However, stress is stress. Psychological stress and physiological stress are synergistic in their effect on the body because psychological stress elicits a physiological response. Research (1,2) shows that psychological stress is not only the consequence of getting injured, but it is also part of the cause in many instances. Thus, if you are an athlete or are very physically active, take psychological recovery into account in parallel with physical recovery. It might save you from getting injured.

Find What Works For You:

Ultimately, human beings are individuals. The structure of the mind widely varies from person to person. Research (3) shows that different conceptual models of surgery preparation help different people differently. For some, understanding the surgery procedure before entering into surgery is de-stressing (4). For others, talk therapy or the company of family is helpful. Ultimately, you have to work with your needs, not the needs others believe you might have, to cope with the stress that is intrinsic to getting injured. If you prefer to be alone, be alone. If you need to be with…