Cognitive - Behavioral Therapy in Central Sensitivity Syndromes

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a formal therapeutic approach that encourages self-management of illnesses in accordance with the BioPsychoSocial model. CBT is composed of numerous skills grounded in known principles of behavioral and cognitive change. Each skill is designed to influence one of the facets associated with the perception of pain (i.e., sensory factors, emotional factors, or cognitive factors). Across the various Central Sensitivity Syndromes (CSS), CBT is thought to be beneficial to at least a portion of individuals afflicted. This paper provides a description of CBT, some recommendations for integrating CBT into clinical practice, and a brief review of the evidence supporting the use of CBT with various forms of CSS.