Research Support
SPIRITS

An integrative observational study for the multi-disciplinary pain treatment program

Project Gist

Explore the way of approaching to the intractable pain as a study and as a clinical practice.

Keywords

integrative medicine, pain, basic emotions, mixed methods

Background and Purpose

Recently it is becoming increasingly understood that pain is a subjective experience related not only to the physical body, but also to emotions and way of thinking, as well as ordinary behaviors and ways of coping with pain. In this research project, we focus on utilizing knowledge from the latest neuroscience, traditional medicine and psychotherapy. And we combine various approaches to pain and are working on research to manage and design an integrated care program with more clinical significance.

Project Achievements

From the perspective of affective neuroscience, we focused particularly on the basic emotions related to pain, and investigated the change in the integrative care program. Collaborating with Pacifica Graduate Institute in California as a basis of enhancing international/national research, a research collaborator in our project acquired the mentoring support from American Psychological Association, Division 39(psychoanalysis). Furthermore, we have been engaged in the establishment of academic society of research methodology in Japan. And we published an introductory book and organized international conference in that field. As seen above, and throughout the participation to the big project applying a international/national grant, we are accumulating the experience to demonstrate leadership as project manager.

Future Prospects

We will continue to conduct fundamental research related to emotional and psychological aspect of pain. At the same time, we pursue refinement of the study design and methodology for subjective experience such as pain. Under the cooperation with medical institutions, we aim to implement the integrated care programs into Japan.

Figure

Scenes in Healing Sanctuary.
The 6th Neuropsychoanalysis Workshop in Shiga.

Principal Investigator

HATTA Taichi

・HATTA Taichi
・Center for iPS Cell Research and Application
・He was formally a biomedical scientist. He turned to empirical ethics halfway through his master course after realizing the process of informed consent greatly affects the quality of clinical research and practice. His research interests include the process of informed consent, shared decision making, and physician-patient relationships. During his doctoral program, he was awarded research funds for the project Mixed Methods Observational Research for Informed Consent (MORE-IC) consultation, which entailed self-teaching psychological statistics, qualitative research, and research methodology.
http://www.cira.kyoto-u.ac.jp/uehiro-ethics/member/hatta/