The American psychologist
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The American psychologist · Feb 2014
ReviewAcceptance and commitment therapy and mindfulness for chronic pain: model, process, and progress.
Over 30 years ago, treatments based broadly within cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) began a rise in prominence that eventually culminated in their widespread adoption in chronic pain treatment settings. Research into CBT has proliferated and continues today, addressing questions very similar to those addressed at the start of this enterprise. However, just as it is designed to do, the process of conducting research and analyzing evidence reveals gaps in our understanding of and shortcomings within this treatment approach. ⋯ This article reviews the progress of CBT in the treatment of chronic pain and the challenges now faced by researchers and clinicians interested in meeting this need for development. It then focuses in greater detail on areas of development within CBT, namely acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and mindfulness-based approaches, areas that may hold potential for future progress. Three specific recommendations are offered here to achieve this progress.
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The American psychologist · Feb 2014
ReviewInterdisciplinary chronic pain management: past, present, and future.
Chronic pain is a significant and costly problem in the United States as well as throughout the industrialized world. Unfortunately, there have been concerns about the effectiveness of traditional medical interventions, suggesting the need for alternative chronic pain treatment strategies. ⋯ In the present article we briefly review the history of pain management, discuss the major components of a "true" interdisciplinary pain management program, focus on the evidence-based outcomes that have documented the effectiveness of such interdisciplinary pain management programs, and note the barriers that have blocked the wider use of such programs. Finally, we discuss future directions in interdisciplinary pain management.
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The American psychologist · Feb 2014
Historical ArticleContributions of psychology to the understanding and treatment of people with chronic pain: why it matters to ALL psychologists.
Chronic pain is a prevalent problem with significant costs to individuals, significant others, and society. In this article, which introduces the American Psychologist special issue on chronic pain, we provide an overview of the seminal contributions made by psychologists to our current understanding of this important problem. ⋯ We believe that the chronicle of psychology's role in improving our understanding and treatment of pain provides a model for how psychologists can have a significant influence on many fields, and that the models and approaches developed for understanding and treating pain may be of use to psychologists working in other areas. Thus, we think that chronic pain is an important area of study that offers insights about translational research for ALL psychologists.