Abstract

50 million Americans, 20% of the population, lives with chronic pain. The numbers continue to rise, which creates opportunities to develop treatments beyond the utilization of traditional health care. The distress, disability, and cost related to managing a chronic pain condition can be overwhelming. Those with chronic pain often have co-existing psychological symptoms including anxiety and depression. The need for non-pharmacological treatments that conceptualize chronic pain as a psychophysiological disorder is well recognized. Physicians may refer patients to psychologists that specialize in pain management as part of a multimodal treatment plan, following a standardized comprehensive evaluation. In cognitivebehavioral therapies, the focus of control for symptom management shifts from the healthcare provider to the patient.