Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for Older Adults with Chronic Pain: Theory, Evidence, and Video Case Example

Chronic pain affects millions of older adults and causes substantial disability. Yet treatment is challenging, since older patients are susceptible to serious risks from pain medications or invasive procedures. Psychotherapy is a promising treatment option because it is generally well-tolerated. However, standard psychotherapies, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), produce only small effect size benefits. Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) is an innovative psychological approach with a unique conceptual model focused on emotional conflict and trauma —major drivers of chronic pain not directly addressed by CBT or ACT.
Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Source Type: research