Power Over Pain (POP) Study

Pain Self-Management Intervention #1 will consist of four 60-minute sessions conducted in person over four weeks (1 session/week on average), scheduled at times convenient for participants (including evenings and weekends if necessary). The sessions will cover a variety of topics, including the definition of chronic pain, the physiological processes underlying chronic pain, common pain-related conditions such as sleep disturbance, and the effects of chronic pain. Participants will be encouraged to ask questions about and discuss the information presented during the treatment sessions.

Pain Self-Management Intervention #2 will consist of four 60-minute sessions conducted in person over four weeks (1 session/week on average), scheduled at times convenient for participants (including evenings and weekends if necessary). Pain Self-Management Intervention #2 will emphasize cognitive restructuring skills to replace maladaptive pain-related thoughts with adaptive and reassuring ones. These skills include being able to: (1) develop awareness of one's thoughts; (2) identify and evaluate adaptive/helpful vs. unhelpful/maladaptive thoughts; and (3) develop alternative thoughts to maladaptive thoughts that are (a) realistic, (b) accurate, (c) reassuring, and (d) facilitate positive outcomes.

"Pain Self-Management Intervention #3 will consist of four 60-minute sessions conducted in person over four weeks (1 session/week on average), scheduled at times convenient for participants (including evenings and weekends if necessary). In Pain Self-Management Intervention #3, subjects will relax in a comfortable position with their eyes closed and simply listen to the clinician speak. The clinician will begin the session with a hypnotic induction focusing on being aware of sensations of relaxation, followed by suggestions for decreases in pain intensity and alterations in the sensory experience of what are sometimes uncomfortable sensations so that they are more comfortable."

Pain Self-Management Intervention #4 will consist of four 60-minute sessions conducted in person over four weeks (1 session/week on average), scheduled at times convenient for participants (including evenings and weekends if necessary). Pain Self-Management Intervention #4 will use hypnotic strategies and suggestions for identifying adaptive cognitions and for making adaptive changes in cognitions more integrated into a participant's belief system.