Pain Reprocessing Therapy: A Framework for Recovering from Primary Chronic Pain
Presented By
Yoni K. Ashar, PhD
Assistant Professor
Division of General Internal Medicine
Department of Medicine
Department of Psychiatry
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Daniella Deutsch, ASW
Director of Content and Co-Founder
Pain Reprocessing Therapy Center
Friday, March 17, 2023
9:00AM - 1:00PM EST
NYC Seminar and Conference Center
71 West 23rd Street, Suite 901, Seminar Room A
New York, NY 10010
Non-Member Price $150
Members save $50
Students save $60
Student Members save $75
Established professionals, early career professionals, and students from all applied, research, and academic settings are invited to attend. Tickets are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
3.5 CE credits approved for NYS Psychology (PSY-0016), Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, MFT and Art Therapy
Workshop Description:
Medical treatments for chronic pain are often ineffective, and psychological treatments typically view pain as a lifelong, chronic condition that can only be managed but not effectively treated. Here, we introduce a novel therapeutic framework, pain reprocessing therapy (PRT), integrating advances from neuroscience, psychology, and medicine to more effectively treat chronic pain. PRT rests on the premise that many cases of chronic pain are driven primarily by fear-avoidance learning and maladaptive functional changes in predictive processing and pain construction—termed “primary” or “neuroplastic” pain. Critically, this suggests that cases of primary chronic pain can be “unlearned”, with symptoms mostly or completely eliminated. In a recently completed clinical trial (N = 151), 66% of patients randomized to PRT were pain-free or nearly so at post-treatment, as compared to less than 20% of controls, with gains largely maintained for one year post-treatment (Ashar et al., 2022). This workshop will provide clinicians an introduction to the PRT framework.
Agenda:
9:00-9:10 - Introductions, agenda
9:10-9:50 - Overview of research and evidence base on neuroplastic pain and pain reprocessing therapy
9:50-10:30 - Assessing for neuroplastic pain
10:30-10:45 - Break
10:45-11:15 - Providing neuroplastic pain psychoeducation and troubleshooting barriers to accepting the diagnosis
11:15-11:45 - Pain Safety Learning, Part 1
11:45-12:00 - Break
12:00-12:30 - Pain Safety Learning, Part 2
12:30-12:50 - Identifying and addressing non-pain threats
12:50-1:00 - Wrap-up and further resources
Learning Objectives:
Assess for the presence of primary vs. secondary pain
Communicate the primary pain diagnosis effectively to patients
Lead a patient in an effective "somatic tracking" exercise, pivoting as barriers are encountered
Speaker Biographies:
Yoni K. Ashar, PhD is an assistant professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. He completed his doctorate in clinical psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder and an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Weill Cornell Medicine. His research uses functional MRI brain imaging, natural language processing, and other clinical and computational tools to understand how mind and brain processes influence health, especially chronic pain. A main research focus is the efficacy and mechanisms of psychological and neuroscience-based treatments for chronic pain.
Daniella Deutsch, ASW, is a psychotherapist who specializes in treating patients with chronic pain. She customizes her treatment approach to meet the needs of each patient, encouraging them to practice self-compassion while using evidence-based practices to achieve pain reduction and mind and body wellness. Daniella is also the content developer and lead trainer at the Pain Reprocessing Therapy Center, demonstrating a holistic and actionable approach to overcoming chronic pain.