BHV-04 - The Perseverance Loop: Inside the Psychology of Pain and Factors in Pain Perception

Pain is a normal feature of the human experience. Commonplace pain has a particular psychology that provides the foundation for all pain management behavior. Normal psychology of pain seeks to explain the shared experience of pain that is uncomplicated and short-lived. There are core aspects beyond the sensory features of normal pain: its social or communicative function and escape or avoidance. Pain is hard-wired as a social alarm of a threat, which is then selected over other competing demands, triggering behaviors that interfere with normal life functioning. Each individual’s experience of pain and its expression is a product of the sensory experience, the person’s background, and interpersonal context. There appears to be a lack of awareness and understanding of the mechanisms of change involved in psychotherapy when addressing the sensory, affective, cognitive, and behavioral components of pain. This presentation will review distinct models that can help explain the patient’s pain experience, expression, and ways to cope in the psychological treatment of intractable pain.