In this talk, Dr. Pohl will discuss chronic pain  as a complicated web of emotions and physical symptoms.  The most common way to treat pain is to use opioid medications, which actually complicates the course of chronic pain.  For some individuals who develop dependence/ addiction to these medications, management and treatment for their condition can become much more complicated. This session will review the interactions of pain, suffering and addiction as they interface in your clients with suggestions for intervention and treatment.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe principles of chronic pain, including central nervous system processing and the brain’s response to pain and suffering
2. Discuss an overview of the opioid crisis and it’s impact on clients with co-occurring chronic pain.
3. Discuss techniques to manage opioid dependence and the experience of recovery from chronic pain with clinical methods including mindfulness, CBT, DBT and ACT.