Emotional Awareness and Other Emotional Processes: Implications for the Assessment and Treatment of Chronic Pain

Abstract

Emotional awareness (EA) is a key emotional process that is related to the presence and severity of chronic pain (CP). In this report, we describe primary and secondary emotions, discuss the distinction between emotional states and emotional regulation/processing, and summarize theory and research highlighting the significance of EA for CP. We describe ways to assess EA and diagnose centrally-mediated CP, for which emotional processes appear most relevant. We review several psychological interventions designed to enhance EA as well as several broader emotional processing treatments developed to address trauma and psychosocial conflicts underlying many patients’ pain. We conclude by offering our perspective on how future integration of emotional processing into pain care could promote recovery from CP.

Keywords::

• chronic pain
• emotional awareness
• emotional processing
• emotions
• psychological treatment

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the conceptualization, background research, writing and editing of the manuscript and approve the final article.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

MA Lumley was supported, in part, by NIH grant AR074020, and he is a research consultant for Cognifisense, Inc. H Schubiner is the author of a book referenced in this article. BC Yarns was supported by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (grant number CX001884). These contents do not represent the views of the US Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

MA Lumley was supported, in part, by NIH grant AR074020, and he is a research consultant for Cognifisense, Inc. H Schubiner is the author of a book referenced in this article. BC Yarns was supported by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (grant number CX001884). These contents do not represent the views of the US Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.