Changing the way the brain processes emotions is key to managing chronic pain, according to a new study.
UNSW Sydney Professor Sylvia Gustin said the study trial conducted in collaboration with Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) showed that enhancing the brain’s capacity for emotional processing through therapeutic intervention was an effective approach to managing chronic pain.
“By changing how we manage emotions, it is possible to change the experience of pain itself,” Professor Gustin said.
“This is not just a temporary relief but a potential long-term improvement in quality of life for those affected by chronic pain.”
She said the new Pain and Emotion Therapy was aimed to retrain the brain to more easily process emotions by improving an individual’s ability to deescalate negative emotions and enhance positive ones.
“The online therapy, made available through the trial, is the first of its kind, delivered through eight group-based therapist-guided sessions by video conference across Australia.”
Professor Gustin said participants also used an app and handbook for self-learning, while the control group continued their usual treatment.
She said those who received the new treatment reported better emotional regulation as well as pain reduction equal to a 10-point decrease on a 100-point scale for pain intensity within a six-month follow up.
“This shows not only a clinical improvement, but one that makes a noticeable difference in the daily lives of the people affected.”
Read the full study: Online Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Emotion Dysregulation in People With Chronic Pain. A Randomized Clinical Trial.
