Partnering with This Might Hurt

“A fascinating watch … a beacon that could help light a new course for many.” - Documentary Drive

“An essential documentary on the opioid crisis” — NBC Right Now

“A must-see movie for chronic pain patients and their loved ones” — Dr. Charles Horowitz

“Shines a spotlight on the chronic pain epidemic, opioid crisis, and the struggles that too many of us have experienced with access to quality healthcare.”
— Jessica Shahinian, former chronic pain patient

About the Film

An official selection of the Austin Film Festival, This Might Hurt is a documentary that offers solutions to reduce and unlearn chronic pain, which affects about 1 in 7 people around the globe. The film follows three chronic pain patients who have spent years searching for answers. Desperate for relief, they enter a new medical program — run by Dr. Howard Schubiner — that focuses on uncovering hidden causes of pain, and retraining their brains to switch the pain off.

While only a handful of doctors are aware of the treatment paradigm shown in this film, it’s quickly gaining recognition. Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy (EAET) was proven effective in a large randomized study, and was listed as a “best practice” by the HHS’s task force to combat the opioid epidemic.

The treatment is based on the principle that many chronic pain conditions are reversible through retraining the brain to transform the fear of pain, and through trauma-informed, emotional exposure therapy. A key component is distinguishing “primary pain” (a.k.a. brain-generated pain) from pain caused by structural damage or disease. This Might Hurt provides an intimate exploration of this cutting-edge medicine and suggests a path to healing for millions.

BACKGROUND ON PRIMARY PAIN

In 2021, brain-generated or “primary pain” was recognized by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as a distinct category of illness defined by neuroplastic changes in the brain, rather than structural damage to the body. Over time, the brain learns, amplifies, and maintains pain signals long after damaged body parts have healed, and just like a false alarm, confuses patients and doctors alike.

Primary pain is real, and it’s one of the major causes of disability. Existing drug treatments are typically not effective for this type of pain.

In addition, primary pain patients are rarely offered treatments like EAET or Pain Reprocessing Therapy (PRT) that are specifically tailored toward resolving their conditions. Our film and the resources we’ve put together are valuable educational tools for healthcare professionals who wish they had better, evidence-based treatments to help chronic pain patients.

More about the evidence base for these diagnostic and treatment paradigms can be found here.

About the VIRTUAL Screenings

We are building partnerships to bring powerful, virtual screenings to audiences around the globe. We have a menu of options for joining with us, and are able to work with organizations big and small, from screenings and trainings for up to 1,000 people, to smaller groups of 15-20. We have a staff and systems in place to help you bring the film and these ideas to your community virtually or in-person.

So far we’ve produced over 35 community screenings for 16,000 people and growing, including at Johns Hopkins Medical School, USC Keck Medical School and more.

Click here to see a sample virtual screening.

CE and CME Credits

This Might Hurt is certified for home-study CME credits by Medicus and for APA-approved CE credits with the New Jersey Psychological Association (NJPA). You can bulk order CME credits directly through us, or find our CME course for individuals at this link. CE course for therapists is available at this link. Organizations may also use our film through their own continuing education systems.

Our Goals

In a few years from now, we’ll offer the film on a streaming service like Amazon, but in the meantime, we’re dedicating resources to bring the film directly to audiences through exclusive grassroots screenings. This is the best way to reach our goals:

HELP Educate healthcarE professionals
We’re working to reach the next generation of physicians, physical therapists, and mental health providers who are eager to learn about the new neuroscience behind this cutting-edge paradigm shift that could help millions of primary pain patients.
Fight the Opioid Epidemic
The addiction epidemic that is still ravaging the nation is closely linked to poorly treated chronic pain conditions.
CHAnGE HOW CHRONIC PAIN IS APPROACHED
Our film offers a new perspective on how to approach pain patients, looking holistically at the symptoms as well as the patient’s life. Using these methods, we can treat the patient, not the symptom.

We can work together

We’ve worked several different ways with partners — we can come up with the right fit for your organization’s needs. The next step is to connect on a call to discuss.

Sign up below for a time to talk directly with our impact team:

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