Pain And The Brain

Dr Sadhbh Joyce
Senior Psychologist (MAPS, AAPi), Co-Founder of Mindarma, Meditation Teacher, External Fellow, Black Dog Institute/UNSW Medicine & Health

Expert Speakers:

Dr Nahian Chowdhury
Research Fellow, Neuroscience Research Australia; Conjoint Lecturer, UNSW Head of Neurostimulation, NeuroRecovery Research Hub, School of Psychology, UNSW, AHPRA Registered Psychologist

Dr Mandy Mercuri
PhD, Mindfulness and Pain Recovery Coach (MTI Level 1, Pain Reprocessing Therapy Certified, Explain Pain)

Support Services & Resources

• PainLink Helpline (Chronic Pain Australia): Call 1300 340 357
  • Staffed by volunteers who live with chronic pain themselves, this service offers peer support, practical tips, and encouragement. Operating hours are Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM AEST.
• B.A.M. Helpline (Musculoskeletal Health Australia): Call 1800 263 265
  • This service (formerly Musculoskeletal Australia) assists with back pain, arthritis, and other musculoskeletal conditions. Available Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (AEST) or via email at helpline@muscha.org
• Chronic Pain Australia support services
• Pain Australia Support Groups & Help Lines
• Carer Gateway : 1800 422 737
• Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636  Webchat: beyondblue.org.au (24/7)

• Pain to Peace Course with Dr Mandy Mercuri July 23rd to Sept 10th (8 week program online Thursdays 1.30pm – 4pm)
• Recovery programs and expert advice

• Neff, K. D. (2003). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85–101.
• Torrijos-Zarcero et al., (2021). Mindful Self-Compassion program for chronic pain patients: A randomized controlled trial. Eur J Pain. 2021;25:930–944.
• Ditchburn et al., (2025). Perfectionism, self-compassion, and general self-efficacy between those with and without chronic pain. Psychology & Health, 1–16.

• Chowdhury NS et al. (2025). A 5-day course of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation before pain onset ameliorates future pain and increases sensorimotor peak alpha frequency. Pain.
• Chowdhury NS et al. (2025).The effect of prolonged elbow pain and rTMS on TMS-evoked potentials: A TMS-EEG study. Imaging Neurosci (Camb).
• E De Martino et al. (2026). Lower pre-treatment TMS-evoked cortical reactivity and alpha-band oscillatory dynamics predict efficacy of primary motor cortex neuromodulation for chronic pain. Neuroimage.

• Ashar YK, Gordon A, Schubiner H, et al. (2022) Effect of Pain Reprocessing Therapy vs Placebo and Usual Care for Patients With Chronic Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry.
• Ashar YK, Low EL, Knight K, et al. (2025). Pain Reprocessing Therapy vs Placebo and Usual Care for Patients With Chronic Back Pain: 5-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry.

• Soundararajan et al., (2022) The effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on physical function in individuals with chronic low back pain: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2022 Nov;49:101623.
• Wilson et al., (2022). Social Support and Psychological Distress among Chronic Pain Patients: The Mediating Role of Mindfulness. Pers Individ Dif. 2022 May;190:111551. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2022.111551.
• Khoo et al., (2019). Comparative evaluation of group-based mindfulness-based stress reduction and cognitive behavioural therapy for the treatment and management of chronic pain: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Evid Based Ment Health. 22(1):26-35.

• Chen et al.,  (2026) Efficacy and safety of Tai Chi for chronic musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Front. Pain Res. 7:1678660. doi: 10.3389/fpain.2026.1678660
• Gao et al., (2024) Comparative Efficacy of Mind–Body Exercise for Treating Chronic Non-Specific Neck Pain: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. Curr Pain Headache Rep 28, 507–523.
• Martinez-Calderon et al., (2022). The Effects of Mind-Body Exercises on Chronic Spinal Pain Outcomes: A Synthesis Based on 72 Meta-Analyses. Int J Environ Res Public Health. Sep 23;19(19):12062.

• Gynette et al., 2026. Dietary Patterns Associated With Anti-inflammatory Effects: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses. Nutrition Reviews, Volume 84, Issue 6, Pages 1167–1192,
• Schönenberger et al., (2021). Effect of Anti-Inflammatory Diets on Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients, 13(12), 4221.
• Sala-Climent et al., (2023) The effect of an anti-inflammatory diet on chronic pain: a pilot study. Front. Nutr. 10:1205526. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1205526
• Field et al., (2021) Dietary Interventions Are Beneficial for Patients with Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. Pain Med. 18;22(3):694-714.

• Pain and Emotion Therapy
• NeuroStim Trials (tDCS and Neurofeedback for neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury)
• NEURA’s Centre for Pain Impact

• The Way Out by Alan Gordon
• Outsmart Your Pain by Christiane Wolf
• Back Up by Liam Mannix
• Mindfulness for Health by Vidyamala Burch and Danny Penman
• Why Does It Still Hurt? By Paul Biegler
• The Pain Management Workbook by Rachel Zoffness
• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk
• Explain Pain by Mosely and Butler
• The Open-Focus Brain by Les Fehmi and Jim Robbins
• Mind Your Body by Nicole Sachs
• What The Hell Is Wrong With Me? by Dr Gillian Deakin
• Unlearn Your Pain by Howard Schubiner

Mindfulness and Self-Compassion

• Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat Zinn
• Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams and Danny Penman
• Trusting the Gold by Tara Brach
• Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh
• Radical Compassion by Tara Brach
• Your Heart Was Made for this by Oren Jay Sofer
• The Craving Mind by Jud Brewer

• Ten Pathways by Fleur Chambers
• The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
• I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You by Miranda Har