Summary
Physical symptoms, including chronic pain, that are not linked to organ disease or structural abnormality are the reason for 30-40% of visits to primary care. These medically unexplained symptoms and chronic functional syndromes, collectively known as Psychophysiologic Disorders, have led to development of several new (and related) psychotherapeutic techniques in recent years. These include Pain Reprocessing Therapy, Emotional Awareness & Expression Therapy and Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy. The goal for these is relief of physical symptoms rather than merely helping the patient manage or cope with their condition. A developing evidence base documents the success of these overlapping approaches. These concepts will be introduced with emphasis on PRT and EAET, the evidence base will be presented and the benefits to the quadruple aim of teaching these concepts to behavioral and medical staff will be reviewed. This presentation is a concise, practical version of courses taught in two doctoral programs and many primary care practices since 2013.
Objectives
- Diagnose the causes of Psychophysiologic Disorders (PPD) particularly non-organic chronic pain but also MUS and chronic functional syndromes.
- Understand the evidence base supporting new therapeutic approaches to these conditions.
- Apply new psychotherapeutic techniques for relief of (not merely coping with) PPD. These include Pain Reprocessing Therapy and Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy.
