In a recent randomized clinical trial of patients with fibromyalgia, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which uses structured techniques to alter distorted thoughts and negative moods, was found to be more effective than a matched education treatment in reducing the impact of pain and other aspects of fibromyalgia on daily living.

In the study published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, it was found that the group that received Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) experienced improvements. These improvements were partly due to reduced catastrophizing, which includes cognitive and emotional processes such as feelings of helplessness, rumination, and exaggeration of pain complaints.

Neuroimaging tests have shown that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) works by changing the connections between specific regions of the brain. This suggests that alterations in the brain circuitry associated with pain catastrophizing could be the reason why CBT is beneficial for fibromyalgia patients. Fibromyalgia is a condition marked by debilitating symptoms like widespread pain, fatigue, cognitive challenges, and psychosocial distress.

“According to corresponding author Jeungchan Lee, PhD, from Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Harvard Medical School, these findings add to the growing body of research that emphasizes the benefits of non-pharmacologic treatments, such as CBT, for chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia. Understanding the various biopsychosocial mechanisms through which these treatments reduce pain could help advance the practice of precision pain medicine and enhance treatment outcomes for the numerous patients affected by chronic pain.”