Chronic pain and substance use disorders frequently co-occur. The pharmacological treatment of pain is complicated in individuals with substance use disorders because of the potential for abuse and diversion of many prescription pain medications. One potential approach is to use a combination of cognitive-behavioral and acceptance-based strategies…

Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for chronic pain is effective, although a number of issues in need of clarification remain, including the processes by which CBT works, the role of cognitive changes in the achievement of outcomes, and the formulation of a coherent theoretical model. Recent developments in psychology have attempted to address these…

Wicksell and colleagues (2005) addressed the important and currently understudied realm of chronic idiopathic musculoskeletal pain treatment in children. They presented a brief overview of empirically supported treatments for children with chronic pain, detailed their case and intervention strategy, and offered conclusions regarding the potential…

The present analog study compared the effectiveness of an acceptance- and control-based intervention on pain tolerance using a cold pressor task, and is a partial replication and extension of the Hayes, Bissett et al. (Hayes, S. C., Bissett, R.T., Korn, Z., Zettle, R. D., Rosenfarb, I. S., Cooper, L. D., & Grundt, A. M. (1999). "The impact of…

Randomized controlled studies have shown that cognitive-behavioral therapies are effective for treating various forms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with most research focusing on combat or sexual-assault-related PTSD. A challenge currently facing researchers and practitioners is to develop specialized protocols for treating other forms…

This case report addresses assessment and treatment considerations for a patient suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the context of mild traumatic brain injury and ongoing pain. Management of this case is based on the application of evidence-based therapy, and of cognitive behaviour therapy, for PTSD reduction. Assessment and…

This commentary reviews the case of GH, a survivor of a road traffic collision, who has chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The case formulation, assessment strategy, and treatment plan are informed by the relevant experimental literature and empirically supported treatments using a cognitive behavioral perspective. Given this…

This case example illustrates how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) within a behavior medicine approach was used in the rehabilitation of an adolescent with debilitating chronic pain. For chronic pain with unclear etiology (idiopathic pain), pharmacological therapy alone is often insufficient. Psychological treatment strategies have been…