Pain Science Education

I had the opportunity to speak on a panel for the development of a new chronic pain app. There were three of us that were practitioners on that panel. It was myself, a social psychologist and our guest, Dr.Natalie Dattilo. We were fielding questions both from people living with pain as well as practitioners. I had the opportunity to get to know Natalie and I wanted to share her with you and introduce you to her because I found her approach to be very refreshing. For me, it was refreshing even though we know that mental health is finally getting the attention it deserves both in pain care and other aspects of illness. What I like about her approach is that she focuses on well-being and resilience. Instead of focusing on what's wrong, she's focusing on what can we improve and how can we improve someone's resiliency so that they can cope and overcome whatever physical or mental health challenge that they're facing. She is a licensed Clinical and Health Psychologist who specializes in the treatment of depression, anxiety, stress as well as insomnia. She provides psychological evaluation and treatment at Brigham Women's Hospital and is an Instructor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. In this episode, we discuss the intersection between self-care and resiliency, when it comes to living with chronic pain or another challenging health condition. We discuss why self-care is important and how self-care is related to resiliency, how to build resiliency, as well as the barriers that might show up as you start to engage in a self-care routine. The rates of depression, anxiety as well as chronic pain skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an important episode to share with your friends, family as well as the patients that you treat. There's no time like a depressant to take stock of how you're doing mentally, physically as well as emotionally and to develop a self-care routine that will contribute to resiliency. Without further ado, let's begin and meet Dr. Natalie Dattilo.   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the Healing Pain Podcast Community today: integrativepainscienceinstitute.com Healing Pain Podcast Facebook Healing Pain Podcast Twitter Healing Pain Podcast YouTube Healing Pain Podcast LinkedIn Healing Pain Podcast Instagram

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Professor Annette Willgens is going to be sharing some amazing information about mindfulness. I want to share her bio with you before we begin. She is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Temple University. She has over 30 years of experience in both clinical practice as well as educating students and professionals.   Her scholarly agenda, which is what makes me excited, includes studying mindfulness and how it relates to resilience and stress management. Why I love her work so much is because she's working from the inside. She's working inside an active DPT program to educate future DPTs, future physical therapists, and oftentimes other health professionals that she works with on an interprofessional basis in the university setting.   Mindfulness is important for lots of different physical as well as mental health conditions. It is not being taught so much in PT school. We're excited to share this information with you. I'm personally excited to share her with you. I love her and her work. She's going to have lots of great tools, techniques and tips that you'll learn from her. With that, I'm going to turn it over and we'll begin our show.   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How »   Join the Healing Pain Podcast Community today: integrativepainscienceinstitute.com Healing Pain Podcast Facebook Healing Pain Podcast Twitter Healing Pain Podcast YouTube Healing Pain Podcast LinkedIn Healing Pain Podcast Instagram

This was a fun episode for me for lots of different reasons. The first reason, I spent a lot of time over past episodes talking about cognitive-behavioral therapies, in essence, if you will, the more top-down approaches for the treatment of chronic pain as well as other health conditions. Being a physical therapist, I work with both the mind as well as the body. I want to turn some attention toward more of the embodied therapies, more of the bottom-up approaches, and how they can have a very positive influence and impact on someone's pain and their overall health. In this episode, we are going to discuss awareness through movement and how the Feldenkrais Method can be used as a tool for pain management. My guest for this episode is Professor Teresa Miller. She is the Founding DPT Program Director at St. John's University, a graduate of the American Physical Therapy Association Educational Leadership Fellowship, and a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner. She is an Associate Professor Emeritus from State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, where she taught physical therapy for years. Dr. Miller received her PhD in Physical Therapy from Temple University, her MS in School Psychology, a BS in Physical Therapy, and AIS in Physical Therapy Assisting. In this episode, we discuss what is the Feldenkrais Method, how it is developed, what are the guiding concepts of a Feldenkrais lesson, how Feldenkrais can help those managing chronic pain and how to find a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner. A little FYI before we begin this episode, Dr. Miller was one of my professors of Physical Therapy at the State University of New York Health Science Center, Brooklyn way back from 1995 to 1997. I consider her a colleague, a mentor, as well as a friend. It was lots of fun for me to do this episode with her. It takes you back in time a little bit too when I was a student and reviewing some of the work that she did, which is groundbreaking. Feldenkrais was not so popular in 1995 when I went to PT school. She was one of the first people to introduce me to more of the mind-body as well as embodied approaches to treating pain. I want to thank her for her time and for joining us for this episode. I know you are getting a lot out of it. I especially want to thank her for her leadership and bring some of these mind-body approaches into my personal practice as a PT but also into the profession and providing evidence for it. Without further ado, let's begin and meet my good friend, Teresa Miller. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the Healing Pain Podcast Community today: integrativepainscienceinstitute.com Healing Pain Podcast Facebook Healing Pain Podcast Twitter Healing Pain Podcast YouTube Healing Pain Podcast LinkedIn Healing Pain Podcast Instagram

Friends, thanks for joining me on this episode. I am speaking with Physical Therapist Zachary Stearns about how to screen for psychological factors when treating patients with chronic pain. Zachary is a physical therapist in Durham, North Carolina. He's board-certified in Orthopedic Physical Therapy and has worked in outpatient clinics, which have a focus on musculoskeletal pain management. He's currently working on a large research study, which is called the AIM-back program. This is a collaborative effort between Duke University and the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs. He's also a PhD student in Health Sciences. In this episode, we discuss the benefits of screening for psychological factors or what we call “yellow flags” in chronic pain management. What types of screening tools can you use? Self-report measures that you can use in your practice. As physical medicine professionals, should we be screening for suicidality? If we do have a positive screening, how do we approach that? How do we follow through with that? Finally, the barriers to implementing and screening psychological factors in clinical practice. I want to thank Zachary for joining me on this episode. If you're a clinician, this is a content-rich episode where we go deep into how to screen for psychological factors, which are important. We also touch on the topic of suicidality. We have a little bit of a healthy discussion on, “Should we be screening for suicide and what do we do after we screen for suicide?” Zachary also just finished writing a paper in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. I did mention that at the beginning of the episode. It's great. It's really useful and it would help you. Without further ado, let's begin and let's meet physical therapist, Zachary Stearns. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the Healing Pain Podcast Community today: integrativepainscienceinstitute.com Healing Pain Podcast Facebook Healing Pain Podcast Twitter Healing Pain Podcast YouTube Healing Pain Podcast LinkedIn Healing Pain Podcast Instagram

In this episode, we have two incredible guests. I'm excited to bring two guests with some incredible experience and research behind them to talk about an important topic, which is bringing ACT to a multidisciplinary pain clinic setting. My guests are Physical Therapist Corinne Cooley and Psychologist Heather King. First, I'll tell you about Corinne. She is a Physical Therapist at the Stanford Pain Management Center and a Clinical Residency Faculty Member in the Stanford Orthopaedic Clinical Residency Program in California. She works with pain physicians and pain psychologists to help optimize complex patient care plans, and leads the exercise and movement portion of interdisciplinary outpatient programs.   Psychologist, Heather King, is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and Peri-Operative Pain Medicine. She also serves as the Director of the Pain Psychology Fellowship at Stanford. Her areas of expertise are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for pain as well as insomnia, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. In this episode, we'll discuss an investigation that Corinne and Heather were both involved in. This study included an outpatient interdisciplinary approach with pain psychology using ACT as well as physical therapy, and compared that to traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. In essence, this was an ACT plus PT intervention compared to a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy intervention alone. They got some interesting data and some results to share. They share how they went about investigating this topic and some of the outcomes as well as the patient population, and how ACT flowed through the psychology as well as the physical therapy part of care.   As you know, I'm a little biased toward mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches, to living life to the fullest, especially with chronic pain. That's why I'm so excited to share Corinne and Heather with you. They also use ACT as their primary form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in their treatment. Just a reminder, if you want to learn more about ACT for chronic pain, there are two great resources for you. The first is my book, which is called Radical Relief. The second is our course, ACT for Chronic Pain, here at the Integrative Pain Science Institute.   Take the time to read about some of the topics we're talking about with regard to chronic pain, both on how ACT can help the psychological aspect as well as the physical aspect of pain. Also, how Heather and Corinne worked together as this tight interdisciplinary team, which is important in the study they created. Hopefully, we can see more of this in healthcare settings. I highly recommend if you're a professional to download the paper. It’s open access. You can read either the paper and follow along with the show or read the paper after. Without further ado, let's begin and meet Physical Therapist Corinne Cooley and Psychologist Heather King.   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the Healing Pain Podcast Community today: integrativepainscienceinstitute.com Healing Pain Podcast Facebook Healing Pain Podcast Twitter Healing Pain Podcast YouTube Healing Pain Podcast LinkedIn Healing Pain Podcast Instagram

In this episode, we're tackling the important but often times not spoken about the impact of trauma and PTSD on the experience of chronic pain. We're going to be sharing a masterclass that was delivered by a physical therapist, Dr. Jeremy Fletcher, on the topic of trauma-informed pain care and why all of us as healthcare professionals should be more sensitive to the needs of people living with trauma and PTSD. Jeremy does share a number of slides. It's got some great data and some beautiful slides to share with everyone.   Let me tell you a little bit about Jeremy before we begin this episode. Jeremy is a Physical Therapist and serves as the Director of Community Integration for a company called Veterans Recovery Resources. This is a non-profit mental health organization, which is located in Mobile, Alabama. He is a former Professor of Physical Therapy. He's also presented at state, national, and international conferences on the topic of chronic pain, health behavior trauma, as well as community health. He's a Major in the US Army Reserve and holds several leadership positions for non-profit organizations throughout Alabama. His service in the Afghanistan war earned him a Bronze Star for working in a combat zone. He's also a veteran, a father, a coach, as well as a husband. I know you'll gain a lot from this episode.   Jeremy talks about the topic of trauma from a clinician's perspective. He also talks about it from his own perspective, as far as being in a war and suffering from his own PTSD. He's also leading our Trauma-informed Pain Care Course at the Integrative Pain Science Institute. That course is open for registration now. It's a five-week course with a mentor and learning session at the end of the course. You can find out more about the Trauma-Informed Pain Care Course that Jeremy is leading on this episode. You can also go over to the website at IntegrativePainScienceInstitute.com. Scroll over to the Courses tab and scroll down, and you'll find the Trauma-Informed Pain Care Course page.   We would love to see you in that course. It is so important that all of us mental health providers oftentimes receive some trauma-informed pain care, but those of us who are physical medicine professionals, PTs, OTs, oftentimes, we need to reinforce that training. This is an incredible course to do that. Without further ado, I welcome you to read this episode of this masterclass. If you have any questions, you can reach out to us at the Institute. Our email is Support@IntegrativePainScienceInstitute.com. Without further ado, let's begin to learn about Trauma-Informed Pain Care with Dr. Jeremy Fletcher.   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the Healing Pain Podcast Community today: integrativepainscienceinstitute.com Healing Pain Podcast Facebook Healing Pain Podcast Twitter Healing Pain Podcast YouTube Healing Pain Podcast LinkedIn Healing Pain Podcast Instagram

The month of September is Pain Awareness Month. In years past, I've done lots of different things for Pain Awareness Month. I've held online summits, which hosted 30 plus experts. I've done courses for professionals and people with pain. In 2021, I was trying to figure out, "What are we not talking about in the chronic pain space that we need to bring more awareness around? What should we be talking about? What can we bring some more disruption around to disrupt our pain care world out there that isn't always as effective for people with chronic pain?" As I started to reflect on my practice and the patients I've seen over many years I've been treating patients looking at research, I said, "We need to talk more about the link between trauma and chronic pain." This September, I've done a couple of different things to raise awareness around the trauma-pain connection. The first is I've done lots of different posts on my Instagram handle. If you can head on over to Instagram and find me, my handle is easy. It's @DrJoeTatta. You can find me on Instagram. Like and follow me. I have lots of great posts and sliders that are perfect for you if you're a practitioner or someone with chronic pain and you want to learn more about the trauma-pain connection. The second is I partnered with a physical therapist this September. His name is Dr. Jeremy Fletcher. He is teaching our first Trauma-Informed Pain Care Course. You can find that by going to IntegrativePainScienceInstitute.com. Head on over to the Courses tab and scroll down and you'll find the Trauma-Informed Pain Care course. That's open now and you can register. It's available for CEs as well as CEUs for physical therapists and other licensed health professionals. It's about seven hours long and has lots of great content. Jeremy is a physical therapy educator. He works for a company called Veterans Recovery Resources, which is a not-for-profit organization, which helps veterans with both their physical well as mental health needs. He is a dad, coach and also a survivor of trauma himself. He is a veteran of the Afghanistan War. He brings lots of professional as well as personal input to this topic. I've learned so much from Jeremy. He and I lectured in 2020 at Combined Sections at the APTA National Conference. I'm going to lecture again in 2021 at the national conference, which is in February. You can meet both of us there if you're around. Finally, I've reached out and partnered with people like our guest, Dr. Robyn Walser, who is an ACT-trained clinical psychologist. She is one of the world's leading experts in treating trauma and PTSD. She is the Director of TL Psychological and Consultation Services. She is also an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley and works with the National Center for PTSD. As a licensed clinical psychologist, she maintains international training, consulting as well as therapy practice. Robyn is well-known as an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, specifically for the treatment of trauma and PTSD. She has co-authored seven books, including a book on Learning ACT. Robyn's work spans traumatic stress, depression, substance use and chronic pain. She has written research articles, chapters and books on these topics. She has been doing ACT training and workshops since 1998. Robyn is incredible. I've seen her in action at a couple of national conferences through ACBS. I've also read a couple of her books. They're great. Head on over to Amazon and make sure you check out all of her books. Dive into this episode, read the topics that she and I are talking about around chronic pain and trauma, see if it resonates with you and think to yourself, "How much do I understand about trauma, PTSD, adverse childhood experiences and the social-political contextual aspects of trauma?" All these are important factors when it comes to treating people with chronic pain. Let's begin this episode and meet Dr. Robyn Walser.   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the Healing Pain Podcast Community today: integrativepainscienceinstitute.com Healing Pain Podcast Facebook Healing Pain Podcast Twitter Healing Pain Podcast YouTube Healing Pain Podcast LinkedIn Healing Pain Podcast Instagram

As always, it's an honor and a pleasure to be spending this time with you. Before we begin, there are a couple of thank yous as we move forward. I wanted to thank OPTP Products for hosting me on their webinar, which was on September 16th. I conducted a webinar for them on mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches for the treatment of chronic pain. Also, I talked about some information from my latest book, Radical Relief, which you can find on their website as well. Thank you for all the great people at OPTP. Make sure you check them out on their website, which is OPTP.com.   On October 21st, I'll be giving a two-hour session on mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches for the treatment of chronic pain at the New York Physical Therapy Association Annual Conference. I hope to see you there. I also want to thank the NYPTA for inviting me. Finally, you can catch me and our guest in this episode at The 2021 Educational Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The Excellence in Physical Therapy Education Conference highlights excellence in physical therapy, as well as innovation. It's a collaborative effort by the APTA Academy of Education and the American Council of Physical Therapy.   If you're a PT or PT educator and you're going to be at the 2021 ELC Conference, make sure to visit me and my colleague. We're presenting a session called Mindfulness and Acceptance-based Interventions in Physical Therapy Education. It's time to address the cycle of distress using evidence-based practice. Also, if you're attending the conference, make sure to catch the keynote by our guest, Dr. Nicole Piemonte. It's on Friday, October 22nd at 8:00 AM. She'll be speaking about cultivating the habits of the heart of patient care, including compassion, vulnerability and imagination. Let me tell you about Dr. Nicole Piemonte before we begin. She is the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and a faculty member in the Department of Medical Humanities at Creighton University School of Medicine. She earned her PhD in Medical Humanities, where she focused on Philosophy and Medical Ethics. Her teaching and research focus on incorporating the humanities into medical education in order to cultivate future practitioners who are tuned to suffering, vulnerability and social justice.   In this episode, we discuss the benefits of confronting suffering and vulnerability, both in healthcare education, as well as its impact on patient outcomes. Once again, I want to thank the New York Physical Therapy Association and the Educational Leadership Conference for inviting me to speak. It's a great honor. I look forward to meeting all of you and without further ado, let's begin. Let's meet Dr. Nicole.   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the Healing Pain Podcast Community today: integrativepainscienceinstitute.com Healing Pain Podcast Facebook Healing Pain Podcast Twitter Healing Pain Podcast YouTube Healing Pain Podcast LinkedIn Healing Pain Podcast Instagram

We have an incredible guest and we're discussing ways to heal and prevent common childhood diseases. Our guest is an ear for parents, a voice for children, a resource for other healthcare professionals, and she's on a mission to help one million children get off meds. They may not need it if they were eating the right food for their health system. My guest is Dr. Sheila Kilbane. She is a board-certified pediatrician. Who's also trained in integrative medicine. She practices medicine in Charlotte, North Carolina, and consults with physicians around the globe using her holistic strategies to help parents resolve eight chronic recurring health conditions. Dr. Kilbane, welcome to the show.   Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share! Here’s How » Join the Healing Pain Podcast Community today: integrativepainscienceinstitute.com Healing Pain Podcast Facebook Healing Pain Podcast Twitter Healing Pain Podcast YouTube Healing Pain Podcast LinkedIn Healing Pain Podcast Instagram