Online Emotional Support Therapy Modestly Reduces Chronic Pain
/By Pat Anson
An online support program designed to “retrain the emotional brain” modestly reduces chronic pain and helps patients keep their negative emotions in check, according to a small pilot study in Australia.
Many people with chronic pain also develop anxiety and depression, but are unable to get psychological treatment because they live in rural areas or have mobility issues, and don’t have easy access to a therapist.
“We’ve known now for some time that chronic pain is more than just ‘Ouch, it hurts.’ It’s more than a sensory experience, it’s incredibly emotional,” says lead author Nell Norman-Nott, PhD, a research fellow at the University of New South Wales and clinical trial manager at the NeuroRecovery Research Hub.
Norman-Nott and her colleagues enrolled 89 people with chronic pain in the “Pain and Emotion Therapy” program. Half of the patients participated in 8 weekly group sessions over Zoom, in which a therapist teaches them emotional skills such as distraction, breathing exercises, and relaxation and self-soothing techniques.
The other participants received the treatment they were already getting, such as medication or physical therapy, and served as a control group.
The study findings, published in JAMA Network Open, show that after 9 weeks there were moderate improvements in depression, anxiety and sleep in those that received online therapy. But there was no change in pain intensity compared to those in the control group.
However, after a 6-month follow-up period, participants reported a 10% reduction in their pain levels, as well as continued improvement in their emotions and sense of well-being.
One of them is Janelle Blight, who lives with chronic back pain, arthritis and neuropathic pain. For the first time in 30 years, she was able to reduce her morphine dose after getting online therapy.
“I’ve been on a lot of opioids and things like that, but I’ve had nothing or found no course that’s been able to help take away the pain or help control the pain at home,” said Blight. “By doing the course, I’ve been able to learn how to reduce my emotional side of my pain, which has helped my chronic pain in the end.”
During a briefing with reporters, researchers called the study a “major step forward in pain care.” But in the actual study, they said the 10% reduction in pain intensity after six months was not well understood and “should be treated with caution.” The improvement was dependent on participants continuing to use the emotional skills they developed during online therapy.
Researchers hope to build on what they’ve learned with a larger study involving 300 participants in 2026. Registrations are open (for Australians only) on the NeuroRecovery Research Hub website.
