Psychological Treatment for Patients With Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is the most common long-term health condition in the United States. For the nearly 100 million Americans who struggle with this burden, the substantial risks of prescription opioid treatment have left many searching for safer, more effective alternatives. While multidisciplinary pain treatment programs can help, they are few in number—and few mental health practitioners receive adequate training in pain treatment.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of treating patients with chronic pain, using evidence-based therapies. Taking a multidisciplinary approach that includes cognitive–behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and chronic pain self-management, Darnall shows mental health professionals how to utilize mindfulness interventions, hypnosis, and biofeedback, and also address comorbid problems such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Included are compelling case studies, and resources for clinical and patient training.
 

Beth D. Darnall, PhD, is clinical professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, and by courtesy, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, at Stanford University. She is principal investigator for multiple national pain and opioid reduction research projects that test the efficacy and mechanisms of psychological treatments in individuals with acute and chronic pain. She investigates mechanisms of pain catastrophizing, targeted pain psychology treatments she has developed, online perioperative behavioral treatments she has developed to reduce postsurgical pain and opioid use, and patient-centered opioid tapering for community outpatients. She delivers pain psychology and opioid reduction lectures and workshops nationally and internationally. She received a presidential commendation from the American Academy of Pain Medicine and currently serves as cochair of their Behavioral Medicine Committee.
She is author of The Opioid-Free Pain Relief Kit (2016), and Less Pain, Fewer Pills: Avoid the Dangers of Prescription Opioids and Gain Control Over Chronic Pain (2014), and coauthor of the American Pain Society book Principles of Analgesic Use (2016, 7th ed.). She spoke at the 2018 World Economic Forum (Davos, Switzerland) on the psychology of pain relief, and has been featured in major media outlets, including O magazine, Forbes, Scientific American, The Washington Post, BBC Radio, Nature, and Time magazine.
Website: bethdarnall.com
Twitter: @bethdarnall

Chronic pain is the most common long-term health condition in the United States. For the nearly 100 million Americans who struggle with this burden, the substantial risks of prescription opioid treatment have left many searching for safer, more effective alternatives. While multidisciplinary pain treatment programs can help, they are few in number-and few mental health practitioners receive adequate training in pain treatment. This book provides a comprehensive overview of treating patients with chronic pain, using evidence-based therapies. Taking a multidisciplinary approach that includes cognitive-behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and chronic pain self-management, Darnall shows mental health professionals how to utilize mindfulness interventions, hypnosis, and biofeedback, and also address comorbid problems such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia. Included are compelling case studies, and resources for clinical and patient training.

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