Empowered Relief: Train Your Brain Away from Pain 

Time: 9:00am-12:00pm

Location: Virtual

Instructor: Hang Ruan, LICSW, MSW

CE credits: No CE credits are offered for this course at this time

Course Description:

Empowered Relief^® is an innovative, evidence-based pain management program developed by Stanford University that helps individuals living with chronic pain build practical skills to improve daily functioning and quality of life. Chronic pain affects millions of people and can interfere with physical health, emotional well-being, sleep, work, and relationships. Research shows that combining medical care with evidence-based self-management strategies can lead to meaningful improvements in pain and overall well-being.

Attendees will learn clinically proven techniques to better understand and manage chronic pain. The program includes pain neuroscience education, relaxation training, cognitive and behavioral strategies, and guided action planning. Each participant develops a personalized pain management plan to support continued success beyond the class. Family members are welcome to attend to better understand chronic pain and provide support throughout the recovery journey.

Empowered Relief^® has been validated through clinical research and offers an efficient, accessible approach for individuals seeking effective, non-pharmacologic tools to complement their medical care and take an active role in improving their health and well-being.

Learning objectives. 

At the end of this training participants will be able to:

• Understand how pain is processed in the brain and body
• Practice effective pain relief skills that can be used immediately
• Develop a personal plan for pain relief

References:

Darnall, B. D., Roy, A., Chen, A. L., Ziadni, M. S., Keane, R. T., You, D. S., Slater, K., Poupore-King, H., Mackey, I., Kao, M.-C., Cook, K. F., Lorig, K., Zhang, D., Hong, J., Tian, L., & Mackey, S. C. (2021). Comparison of a single-session pain management skills intervention with a single-session health education intervention and 8 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy in adults with chronic low back pain. JAMA Network Open, 4(8), e2113401. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.13401

Darnall, B. D, Burns, J. W., Hong, J., Roy, A., Slater, K., Poupore-King, H., Ziadni, M. S., You, D. S., Jung, C., Cook, K. F., Lorig, K., Tian, L., & Mackey, S. C. (2024). Empowered relief, cognitive behavioral therapy, and health education for people with chronic pain: A comparison of outcomes at 6-month follow-up for a randomized controlled trial. Pain Reports, 9(1), e1116–e1116. https://doi.org/10.1097/pr9.0000000000001116

Ziadni, M. S., Gonzalez-Castro, L., Anderson, S., Krishnamurthy, P., & Darnall, B. D. (2021). Efficacy of a single-session “empowered relief” zoom-delivered group intervention for chronic pain: Randomized controlled trial conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(9), e29672. https://doi.org/10.2196/29672