Psychological Therapies for Pain: What Published Guidance Supports

Key takeaways

• Recommended: CBT or ACT for chronic primary pain
• Aim: improved function and quality of life, not necessarily less pain
• Most useful single change: Ask for referral to a pain management programme.
• Commonest mistake: Reading the referral as being told the pain is in your head.
• See a doctor if any of the signs under "When to speak to a doctor" below apply to you.

What it is

CBT and acceptance and commitment therapy applied to persistent pain. It sits within Chronic Pain. The figures come from the bodies named at the foot of this page.

The numbers, in one place

What helps

You do not have to do all of it, and you do not have to start today.

• Ask for referral to a pain management programme
• Go in expecting function-focused goals rather than pain elimination
• Do the between-session work, which is where the change happens
• Combine with graded exercise rather than choosing between them

What to avoid

The usual wrong turns. Some are more tempting than others.

• Reading the referral as being told the pain is in your head
• Judging it on pain score alone
• Stopping after one difficult session

Where to go next

• Myths About Psychological Therapies for Pain, Checked Against the Guidance
• Psychological Therapies for Pain: A Beginner-Friendly Start
• Psychological Therapies for Pain — the reference entry
• What the Guidance Really Says About Sleep and Chronic Pain
• The Evidence on Exercise with Persistent Pain, Without the Hype

When to speak to a doctor

See a GP for new or changing pain rather than assuming it is the same condition. Seek urgent help for thoughts of harming yourself; the Samaritans are free on 116 123 at any hour. Chronic pain and depression frequently coexist and both need treating.

Where this comes from

• NICE — Chronic pain in over 16s
• NHS — Pain management programmes

How this page was put together

Every figure, recommendation and warning above is taken from the guidance named in Where this comes from. Nothing on this page is inferred, summarised or generalised beyond what those bodies publish: where they give a number, it is their number, and where they are silent, so are we. Pages are rebuilt whenever the underlying record changes. Sign-off by a named clinician, where it has happened, is shown at the top of the page along with the date.

Medical disclaimer

This article is general information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medication or circumstances. Always speak to a GP, pharmacist or another qualified health professional before making changes that affect your treatment, and never delay seeking medical advice because of something you have read here. In an emergency, call 999.