A negative pain mindset – catastrophizing – undermines pain treatment effectiveness and facilitates structural brain changes that serve to maintain pain and distress.
Beth Darnall, PhD
Beth Darnall, PhD, is a clinical professor in the Division of Pain Medicine at Standford University, where she treats individuals and groups at the Standford Pain Management Center. As an NIH-funded principal investigator for pain psychology research, she examines the mechanisms of pain catastrophizing treatment.
Dr Darnall is the co-chair of the Pain Psychology Task Force at the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM), and in 2015 received a Presidential Commendation from AAPM.