Video Interviews With PRT Study Participants
The participants in this study voluntarily agreed to share their stories of their experience with PRT.
A new study published September 29, 2021 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry out of the University of Colorado found that two-thirds of chronic back pain patients who underwent a four-week psychological treatment called Pain Reprocessing Therapy were pain-free or nearly pain-free post-treatment. And one year after the study ended, the majority of patients were still recovered. This is the first randomized controlled study showing that chronic back pain can not only be managed, but actually cured in the majority of people. And this is a treatment that uses no surgery, drugs, or physical therapy.
JAMA Psychiatry: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2784694
CU Boulder Today: https://www.colorado.edu/today/2021/09/29/how-therapy-not-pills-can-kill-chronic-pain-and-change-brain
For the randomized controlled trial, researchers recruited 151 men and women who had back pain for at least six months at an intensity of at least 4 on a scale of 1 to 10. Before and after treatment, participants underwent brain scans to measure how their brains reacted to a mild pain stimulus. The results were surprisingly robust. After just four weeks of treatment, 66% of patients in the treatment group were pain-free or nearly pain-free, compared to 20% of the placebo group and 10% of the no-treatment group. When people in the PRT group were exposed to mild pain in the scanner post-treatment, brain regions associated with pain processing – including the anterior insula and anterior midcingulate —had quieted significantly.
The following are interviews with study participants:
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Pain Reprocessing Therapy and The Way Out
Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) was created by Alan Gordon, LCSW, founder of the Pain Psychology Center in Los Angeles and author of the new book The Way Out. Chronic pain is generally considered to be incurable, but recent neuroscience has found that in many cases, chronic pain is actually caused by misfiring pain circuits in the brain, and that it can be reversed. In THE WAY OUT: A Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven Approach to Healing Chronic Pain (Avery Hardcover), Alan introduces readers to Pain Reprocessing Therapy, a mind-body protocol that eliminated his own chronic pain and has transformed the lives of thousands.
THE WAY OUT is a guide to this new combination of cognitive, somatic, and mindfulness-based techniques to help pain sufferers rewire their brains and break free from the chronic pain cycle. With over a billion pain sufferers worldwide as well as a massive opioid epidemic, THE WAY OUT provides a much-needed alternative to the way that chronic pain is currently treated and understood.
Alan was recently featured on Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown podcast. https://www.bialikbreakdown.com/watch-podcast/alan-gordon -- this is a terrific in-depth conversation / introduction to Alan’s approach to chronic pain. Mayim Bialik: “If you have pain that won’t go away or moves around or doesn’t seem to have an injury related to it or seems it gets worse when you’re stressed, BUY THIS BOOK. I have been following Alan Gordon’s work for years and I have to say: this book needs to be in your hands asap if you are living with chronic pain. This is the protocol I’ve been using for years and it’s transformative and powerful. I am so grateful to Alan for putting this out there. I can not recommend it highly enough.” (television star, new co-host of Jeopardy, neuroscientist)
Alan and the book’s co-author Alon Ziv host the podcast, “Tell Me About Your Pain” - https://www.curablehealth.com/podcast/your-pain. To get a simple introduction to Alan’s work and Pain Reprocessing Therapy, check out a few episodes of the podcast which includes audio recordings of actual patient sessions.
Jared Leto: “I highly recommend this great book for anyone that is dealing with chronic pain.” (Academy Award winning actor)
BJ Novak (The Office): “This great book is so uniquely insightful about all types of pain, including anxiety. Wonderful and charming, I recommend it.” (actor, director, producer, writer, author)
About the Authors
Alan Gordon, LCSW - Founder & Director of the Pain Psychology Center in Los Angeles and an adjunct assistant professor at USC. He developed Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT), a cutting-edge protocol for treating chronic pain, and just completed a groundbreaking neuroimaging study on the efficacy of PRT in conjunction with the University of Colorado-Boulder.
Alon Ziv – Has a degree in neuroscience and was awarded the Certificate of Distinction in Teaching in Biology from UCLA. He is the author of "Breeding Between the Lines" and has appeared on BBC London News, NPR and BBC Radio.
Praise for The Way Out
"THE WAY OUT is a groundbreaking approach to the treatment of chronic pain that gives hope to those who were thought to be incurable. All chronic pain patients owe it to themselves to read this book." –Andrew Weil, MD, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Spontaneous Healing
“With straightforward and practical wisdom, THE WAY OUT presents a sophisticated yet simple approach to understanding and healing chronic pain—an approach grounded in advanced science and proven clinical experience.” -- –Gabor Maté MD, author of When the Body Says No
"At long last, a successful treatment for chronic, disabling pain. THE WAY OUT provides valuable information about the ailment of pain, and many helpful suggestions on how to heal." –Aaron Beck, MD, founder of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), emeritus professor of psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
"If you suffer from chronic pain (or know someone who does), THE WAY OUT is an optimistic, science-based book about managing the mind-body connection to healing. Alan Gordon writes with compassion, empathy, and a deep understanding of living with pain. Finding relief from his own suffering prompted him to find freedom for others.” –Sharon Salzberg, New York Times bestselling author of Lovingkindness and Real Change
“A compelling journey and fascinating read. In The Way Out, Gordon and Ziv bring together serendipity and science, demonstrating the power of the mind, and how we all can harness our own brains for healing.” –Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Unwinding Anxiety and The Craving Mind