While tempting to think about pain as a simple experience – i.e., merely a read-out of how badly we are injured – contemporary pain science suggests that this experience is much more complex than we might realise. In this lecture, I will discuss experimental and clinical findings that support the presence of numerous, and varied, contributors to the experience of pain. I will also specifically discuss the physiological spinal and supraspinal processes and adaptations that occur when pain persists. Together, I will use this new knowledge to explore how we may be able to treat pain in ways that have less to do with the body part that hurts and more to do with the processes that occur above the neck.
Learning objectives:
To have an increased understanding of the various contributors to the experience of pain
To be able to explain to a family member the different physiological adaptations that occur in persistent pain states.
To have an increased understanding of brain-based strategies that can be used to reduce the experience of pain.
The Details:
Where: Zoom (live online)
When: Tuesday, December 9, at 7:00 PM CST
Can’t make it live? No worries—register and you’ll get access to the recording.
Cost: $30
Associate Professor Tasha Stanton is a clinical pain neuroscientist leading the Persistent Pain Research Group at SAHMRI and serving as co-Director of IIMPACT in Health at the University of South Australia, Adelaide. Originally trained as a physiotherapist, she explores the critical question: Why do we feel pain, and why does it sometimes stick around when nothing seems wrong?
Tasha's work crosses boundaries, from studying how our brains interpret pain using virtual and mediated reality to reshaping what we know about chronic pain through pain science education. She's published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, secured millions in competitive grant funding, and earned accolades including the World Congress of Pain Ronald Dubner Research Prize and the Australian Pain Society Rising Star Award. A gifted communicator, she founded the Brain Bus, a mobile experiential lab for sharing brain and pain science with rural and regional communities, and has been honored among Australia’s Top 5 Under 40 Science Communicators.
Tasha brings clarity, creativity, and compassion to discussions that demystify pain and empower people to understand their own experience in new, hopeful ways.