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

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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).


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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.