A documentary that follows the largest fMRI randomized controlled trial challenging conventional wisdom about chronic pain, and revolutionizing treatment for millions.
ABOUT
One in five people suffer from chronic pain, but what if the key to relief lies not in the body, but in the brain? PAIN BRAIN takes viewers behind the scenes of a landmark neuroscience study that's changing our understanding of pain.
Key Elements:
Follow psychotherapist Alan Gordon as he puts his controversial mind-body treatment to the test
Witness the tension between traditional medical approaches and cutting-edge neuroscience
Experience the emotional journeys of chronic pain patients seeking relief
Uncover the groundbreaking fMRI results that could reshape pain treatment
Why It Matters:
Tackles a widespread health issue affecting 20% of the population
Showcases a potential paradigm shift in medical understanding
Highlights the intersection of psychology and neuroscience
Offers hope to millions suffering from chronic pain
The Impact:
Study published in JAMA Psychiatry, cited 90 times
Top 1% of all viewed articles on the JAMA network
Featured on the Today Show and in the Washington Post
70% of study participants became pain-free or nearly pain-free
PAIN BRAIN isn't just a documentary; it's a window into the future of pain management and a testament to the power of scientific inquiry.
GALLERY
Mitch Dickman (producer/director)
Mitch has been a part of hundreds of projects spanning all genres, formats, and styles. He was named one of the “Top 10 Documakers to Watch” by Variety Magazine. Recent credits include the Emmy award winning Anti-Human Trafficking Public Service Announcement Campaign (Producer/Director 2022), Silent Rose (Producer/Director – Topic Streaming 2020), Casting Jon Benet (Producer – Netflix – Sundance 2017), Speaking is Difficult (Cinematographer – Sundance 2016), Rolling Papers (Producer/Director – SXSW 2015), Being Evel (Line Producer – Sundance 2015) and Hanna Ranch (Producer/Director – NY Times Critics Pick 2014). Mitch holds a BFA in Film/Television with a minor in Political Science from the University of Colorado at Denver (where he currently sits on the advisory board and teaches as adjunct faculty).
Tim Kaminski (producer/director)
Tim (producer/director) has helmed short narratives and a feature documentary, Classic (Producer/Director – AIFF 2020 Jury and Audience Award), and has produced for documentary series and films. In post, Tim has helped tell documentary stories spanning from e-sports (Artificial Gamer, 2021) to mass coral bleachings (Chasing Coral, 2017) and even daredevilry (Being Evel, 2015) and weed (Rolling Papers, 2015). Tim also keeps threatening to direct a narrative “this year” and, depending on when you read this, maybe that also will be true.
Laurie Polisky (producer/director)
Laurie (producer/director) is a neuroscience researcher turned filmmaker/podcaster, and was a co-author on the study featured in Pain Brain. She was recently awarded the Creative Science Non-Fiction Accelerator Award to develop a documentary on dream technology. She produced and scored the podcast Dear Alana, which hit #1 on Apple Podcasts its first week of release (August 2023), and is nominated for Best Original Music for the 2023 Signal Awards. She also produced the mental health podcast Tell Me About your Pain - with hosts Alan Gordon and Alon Ziv - which ranked in the top 1% of most listened to podcasts on mental health.
RESOURCES
Learn More
To learn more, follow these recommendations provided by Dr. Yoni Ashar:
Our research article published in JAMA Psychiatry
A write up in the Washington Post
A podcast about our research, another podcast about chronic pain and the brain, or a 16 min segment on Colorado Public Radio
A 2-min video on CBS Evening News or a 7-min, more in-depth video interview on Gaia News
A 10-min documentary about advances in mind-body pain treatments
Three great overviews on youtube:
An accessible, scientific video on the spreading of chronic pain due to central sensitization:
For some patients, simply understanding what is driving their pain is sufficient to dramatically reduce it. The websites and books below contain lots of fantastic informational materials:
A website created by Paul Hansma, a physicist who recovered from chronic shoulder pain using these approaches: http://activelifescientific.org/
A collection of resources that collectively describe a brain-centered (non-biomedical) perspective on back pain: http://www.pain-ed.com/public/resources/
Free e-book on chronic pain and behavioral treatment: http://www.greglehman.ca/pain-science-workbooks/
A youtube channel with informational videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy-JHnIBDGGkfLe7Pj8inzQ/videos Don’t be turned off by the “TMS” jargon! Its another term some people use for central sensitization-driven symptoms
Find Treatment
Alan Gordon and Alon Ziv’s book, The Way Out
Alan Gordon at the Pain Psychology Center in LA has developed a free treatment program, available here: http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/painrecovery/
Lin Health, a great app providing this sort of treatment + coaching
Zoom therapy: www.bettermindcenter.com and www.painpsychologycenter.com and https://www.mindbodytherapycenter.org/
This app is a guided mind-body therapy program for chronic pain, developed by former pain sufferers: https://getcurable.com/CU
Unlearn Your Pain, by Howard Schubiner: http://unlearnyourpain.com/ (web program and also available as a book)
Scientific Literature
For those inclined to the academic literature, here are a few key references from leading researchers. The expansive literature on chronic pain and the brain is expansive – this is just to get you started!
Ashar YK, Gordon A, Schubiner H, et al. Effects of Pain Reprocessing Therapy vs Placebo and Usual Care for Patients with Chronic Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2022;79:13-23. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.2669
Woolf, C. J. (2011). Central sensitization: Implications for the diagnosis and treatment of pain. Pain, 152(SUPPL.3), S2–S15. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2010.09.030
Arendt-Nielsen, L., Morlion, B., Perrot, S., Dahan, A., Dickenson, A., Kress, H. G., … Mohr Drewes, A. (2018). Assessment and manifestation of central sensitisation across different chronic pain conditions. European Journal of Pain (United Kingdom), 22(2), 216–241. http://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.1140
Hashmi, J. a., Baliki, M. N., Huang, L., Baria, A. T., Torbey, S., Hermann, K. M., … Apkarian, a. V. (2013). Shape shifting pain: chronification of back pain shifts brain representation from nociceptive to emotional circuits. Brain : A Journal of Neurology, 136(Pt 9), 2751–68. http://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awt211
Baliki, M. N., & Apkarian, A. V. (2015). Nociception, Pain, Negative Moods, and Behavior Selection. Neuron, 87(3), 474–491. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2015.06.005