Beyond therapy types: Mindful self‐compassion and the future of process‐based therapy for chronic pain

This journal recently published a paper by Torrijos-Zarcero et al., (2021) entitled ‘Mindful Self-Compassion Program for Chronic Pain Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial’. In their study the authors compare treatment including mindfulness and self-compassion methods (MSC) with conventional cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). They recruited people long-standing chronic pain plus significant anxiety or depression (N = 123). achieve good completion retention in trial document no adverse events. end, MSC appeared superior to CBT respect improvements self-compassion, pain-acceptance, interference, anxiety. None of analyses nine outcomes favoured CBT. The boldly go where previous approaches within have only rarely gone before, into aspects human behaviour such as self, kindness, caring, love, compassion, dignity, forgiveness, gratitude. few comments might help clarify what this means field, lead next. choose head-to-head comparison between It is high bar surpass CBT, even setting aside potential overlapping therapeutic mechanisms. One additional difficulty that analysing at level type coarse analysis (McCracken, 2020). When one surpasses other, it does not answer whom, under circumstances how. Within each package there will be component parts worked some others, delivered impact many few. Future studies include analyses, moderation mediation needed these questions. by-product development distinct types pain, other conditions, can cultivate allegiance, division competition. basic how we are humans, want included, appreciated, right, superior. waste time energy. here primary outcome. sense out ok them. From wider point view, choice ideal. better maintain distinction common set on hand, more varied, growing, processes change variables other. Self-compassion, like it, may day populate list empirically supported change. At same time, unlikely become an outcome developers from varying theoretical backgrounds endorse currency. us select driving change, apply serially, highly individualized way, customized presenting person occasion during course (Hayes 2019). worth noting was group setting, continuing long tradition interdisciplinary management. An extended discussion relative merits versus individual delivery beyond space limits commentary. just say, however, vision truly something our current knowledge. order deliver best fitting sets methods, potentially person, first need employ research sensitive cases. supplement know aggregated data, groups settings, knowledge gained finer grained, longitudinal, idiographic, data collection over Finally, missing authors’ report would been easy do could significantly increased understanding results, related points. piece individuals, given surpassed threshold minimally important, reliable, clinically Although standardized mean differences useful, underneath them who improve lot, little, stay same, worsen degree another. Looking step towards question ‘for whom’. To summarize, ought bold new things. Mindful deserves further study. proceed different way. way focused (a) identifying mediators moderators outcomes, (b) growing cut across types, (c) employing uniform consensus view key (d) developing technical individualize treatment. future distinctions instead develop optimal without regard origin, based evidence fit.