Painting Class-July 2008
Chronic pain is often associated with a major depression.  We can treat chronic pain with antidepressants.  Dr. Ennis has had many years of experience treating chronic pain and depression.  He is an expert in the use of opioids, or narcotics.  Antidepressants can help with the pain, but Dr. Ennis recognizes that it typically does not help with the chronic pain.  Dr. Ennis has struggled for many years with chronic pain.  Learning to cope with pain is the most important skill you can learn to manage your chronic pain.  Dr. Ennis has been written up in newspapers and journals.  Dr. Ennis has had multiple surgeries and serious illness that he has learned to cope with.  He he can do it, so can you.  Chronic pain does not have to end your enjoyment of life.  Dr. Ennis will teach you how to cope with chronic pain, and depression.  If necessary he will prescribe narcotics or opioids, or antidepressants.  
Painting Class- March 2008

Painting Class-April 2010

Painting Class-November 2009
Painting Class-November 2010
Painting Class-Winter 2010
Painting Class-June 2009
Making a Painting by Dr. Ennis-January 2008

Central to pain management is helping patients increase their level of activity, in spite of the pain they experience.  If pain continues to be used as the basis for determining function then patients will do very little.  One of the most difficult lessons to learn in managing chronic pain is that pain cannot be used to dictate activity.  It takes time to learn this lesson.  At the end of the pain program most participants learn to do more, in spite of pain, and have more fulfilling lives.  The painting class is an opportunity for patients to be active in spite of their pain and to try a new skill. 

Many patients are no longer able to work.  Once work ends so do many people's identity.  An important lesson to learn is that life does not stop even if a person's capacity to work for remuneration has.  There are many things that people with pain, disease and illness can do.  The painting class opens the door to this way of thinking.