• Kayoko Taguchi, Noriko Numata, Rieko Takanashi, Ryo Takemura, Tokiko Yoshida, Kana Kutsuzawa, Kensuke Yoshimura, and Eiji Shimizu.
• Department of Cognitive Behavioral Physiology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Feb 12; 100 (6): e23859e23859.

BackgroundWe aimed to examine the feasibility of our newly-developed, integrated, and high-intensity individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) protocol for treatment-resistant chronic pain.MethodsWe conducted an open-labeled prospective single-arm trial for patients aged 18 years and above, suffering from chronic pain, and diagnosed with somatic symptom disorder with predominant pain. We provided 16 weekly sessions of CBT, each lasting for 50 minutes, which included 4 new strategies: attention shift, memory work, mental practice, and video feedback. For comparison, the study had a pre-test post-test design. The primary outcome was the change from baseline (week 1) to 16, as indicated by the Numerical Rating Scale and Pain Catastrophizing Scale. In addition, we evaluated depression, anxiety, disability, and quality of life as secondary outcomes.ResultsSixteen patients with chronic pain underwent our CBT program. Though there was no reduction in pain intensity, catastrophic cognition showed statistically significant improvement with a large effect size. Depression, anxiety, and disability demonstrated statistically significant improvements, with small to moderate effect sizes. No adverse events were reported.ConclusionOur newly integrated CBT program for chronic pain may improve catastrophic cognition, depression, anxiety, and disability. Large-scale randomized controlled studies are necessary to investigate the program's effectiveness in the future.Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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