Name of Lecture: …Cognitive Behavioral Modeling in Chronic Pain Management

Name of Speaker: …T. Fernandez, specialized in Chronic Pain, anesthesia, interventions   

Program Time: …430–515pm

Actual Time: …440-520pm

Location: ...Seema Dental College

Name of Chairman:…S. Parker

Name of Reporter: …Klara Gerrits

Reference Material/Presentation/Other Information Collected: … 

Main Points of the Lecture: ....Dr Parker discussed the therapy of Cognitive Behavioral Modeling (CBM) as being practiced in his clinic. Patients with chronic pain often suffer severe pain during long periods of time, feel desperate and have high expectations of medical interventions. In CBM the patients with chronic pain are helped to recognize their cognitive state, understand the link to their physical well-being and alter it to improve the quality of life, despite - often negative - medical results. In CBM physical pain-relief goes hand in hand with education, to encourage lower anxiety and depression-levels, higher confidence-levels and a positive cognitive state such that he can take the necessary action to gain the long-term goals for a better quality of life. The speaker gave various examples of CBM-patient-interventions. The speaker quoted Swami Rama: “There is a need for us to understand ‘our own inner self’ to gain control over the mind and its modifications.” CBM-practitioners started to introduce yoga (ie breathing techniques) as part of the technique to bring about the desired lasting change in body and mind. Self-awareness was identified as a common factor in both yoga and CBM.

Questions and Answers (name of person and details of question): …

Question: Is CBM a therapy?
Answer: patients do not want to be associated with ‘therapy’. In CBM we are not changing the person. The person himself has to change his cognitive model, with the help of group-based, as well as individual, therapy. There is a minimal role for the patient’s doctor, in specific interventions for pain treatment, for example over a CBM-process of around six months.    

Other Comments (e.g. references to other resources, talks being held etc): ...None