Pain Neuroscience Education for Physical Therapists and Their Clients — This Might Hurt film
“A must-see movie for chronic pain patients and their loved ones ”
BODY-ORIENTED CLINICIANS AND CHRONIC PAIN
As many physical therapists have long known, chronic pain is not always driven by tissue damage. Pain is composed of biopsychosocial elements, but to date, most training deals with the biological and physical changes associated with pain. What about the psychosocial factors? Physical therapists like Lorimer Moseley, Charlie Merrill, and Georgie Oldfield are leading the way by teaching clients and fellow PTs about pain neuroscience education, fear reduction, and graded exposure to unlearn—not just manage—chronic pain.
Many leading physical therapists are finding that this healing process can lead to dramatic reductions in pain and even full recoveries for many.
To purchase an educational license of This Might Hurt that details the psychosocial approach to chronic pain, which can be shared with 50 individual clients/patients, click below:
Note: if you are a physical therapist and would like a gratis link to view the film while considering buying an educational copy, please email us at tmhfilm@gmail.com. We are happy to provide a free way to see the film.
About the Film
An official selection of the Austin Film Festival, This Might Hurt is a documentary that offers solutions to reduce and unlearn chronic pain, which affects 1 in 7 people around the globe. The film follows three chronic pain patients who have spent years searching for answers. Desperate for relief, they enter a new medical program — run by Dr. Howard Schubiner — that focuses on uncovering hidden causes of pain, and retraining their brains to switch the pain off.
While only a handful of doctors are aware of the treatment paradigm shown in this film, it’s quickly gaining recognition. Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) was proven effective in a large randomized study, and was listed as a “best practice” by the HHS’s task force to combat the opioid epidemic. A similar treatment, Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), was found to cure 66% of patients with chronic back pain in a prominent randomized study published in JAMA Psychiatry.
The treatments are based on the principle that many chronic pain conditions are reversible through retraining the brain to transform the fear of pain, and through trauma-informed graded exposure therapy. A key component is distinguishing “primary pain” (a.k.a. brain-generated pain) from pain caused by structural damage or disease. This Might Hurt provides an intimate exploration of this cutting-edge medicine and suggests a path to healing for millions.
Additional Resources for Physical Therapists
BEYOND PAIN EDUCATION
An Async Online Course - Psychosocial Strategies for Body-Oriented Clinicians and Athletes
(We are not affiliated with this training, so please direct any questions directly to Charlie Merrill.)
Feldenkrais Method Resource - a Q&A with Yvo Mentens (Feldenkrais practitioner) Howard Schubiner, MD, and Kent Bassett, director of This Might Hurt)
The Pain PT Youtube Page
Watch below for an example of somatic tracking, a technique for unlearning pain that any PT can bring into their practice, with Jim Prussack, MPT, MMT. Click HERE to access more of the Pain PT’s videos.
Georgia Oldfield’s (UK-based physiotherapist) Ted Talk on Chronic Pain
Her organization in the UK which has many valuable resources is called Sirpa.
Lorimer Moseley’s (PT and neuroscientist) Video on Chronic Back Pain
Note: if you are a physical therapist and would like a gratis link to view the film while considering buying an educational copy, please email us at tmhfilm@gmail.com. We are happy to provide a link for you to view the film.
““As a psychologist who works in the field of chronic pain, I think you guys have given us a great teaching tool.” ”
BACKGROUND ON PRIMARY PAIN
In 2021, brain-generated or “primary pain” (a.k.a. nociplastic pain) was recognized by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a distinct category of illness defined by neuroplastic changes in the brain, rather than structural damage to the body. Over time, the brain learns, amplifies, and maintains pain signals long after damaged body parts have healed, and just like a false alarm, confuses patients and doctors alike.
Primary pain is real, and it’s one of the major causes of disability. Existing drug treatments are typically not effective for this type of pain.
In addition, primary pain patients are rarely offered treatments like EAET or Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) that are specifically tailored toward resolving their conditions. Our film and the resources we’ve put together are valuable educational tools for healthcare professionals who wish they had better, evidence-based treatments to help chronic pain patients.
More about the evidence base for these diagnostic and treatment paradigms can be found here.
CE and CME Credits
This Might Hurt is certified for home-study CME credits by Medicus and for APA-approved CE credits with the New Jersey Psychological Association (NJPA). You can bulk order CME credits directly through us, or find our CME course for individuals at this link. CE course for therapists is available at this link. Organizations may also use our film through their own continuing education systems.
Our Goals
In a few years from now, we’ll offer the film on a streaming service like Amazon, but in the meantime, we’re dedicating resources to bring the film directly to audiences through exclusive grassroots screenings. This is the best way to reach our goals:
HELP Educate healthcarE professionals
We’re working to reach the next generation of physicians, physical therapists, and mental health providers who are eager to learn about the new neuroscience behind this cutting-edge paradigm shift that could help millions of primary pain patients.
Fight the Opioid Epidemic
The addiction epidemic that is still ravaging the nation is closely linked to poorly treated chronic pain conditions.
CHAnGE HOW CHRONIC PAIN IS APPROACHED
Our film offers a new perspective on how to approach pain patients, looking holistically at the symptoms as well as the patient’s life. Using these methods, we can treat the patient, not the symptom.
We can work together
For most practitioners, purchasing an educational license is the best way to utilize the film. You can do that HERE.
However, if you would like to discuss options for a larger screening, we would love to hear from you.
Sign up below for a time to talk directly with our impact team:
