Patients living with fibromyalgia (FM) -- a disease that predominantly affects women and is characterized by chronic pain, fatigue and brain fog -- often find limited treatment options and a scarcity of explanations for their symptoms. Investigators have now found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can significantly reduce the burden of FM by, in part, reducing pain-catastrophizing, a negative cognitive and emotional response that can intensify pain through feelings of helplessness, rumination and intrusive thoughts. This finding is backed by neuroimaging data, evidencing reduced connectivity between regions of the brain associated with self-awareness, pain and emotional processing.
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