Exploring the Efficacy of Pain Acceptance Training in Addressing Somatic Symptoms in Mental Health

Somatic symptoms, such as physical pain, are very common among individuals struggling with mental health difficulties. Yet, current treatments often fall short in addressing these symptoms, partly because patients may struggle to recognize and express their emotional experiences. Our study introduces a novel intervention called Pain Acceptance Training, which draws on principles of dialectical thinking. Specifically, it encourages individuals to hold a dual perspective: acknowledging both the desire to end the pain and the ability to accept it as it is. This project aims to examine (1) the efficacy of pain acceptance training to alleviate somatic pain in patients suffering from somatic symptoms; (2) the role of dialectical thinking as a mediator of pain acceptance training efficacy. Our intervention consists of two assessment sessions. In the first session, participants undergo a comprehensive baseline assessment that includes self-report questionnaires, computerized task and short pain evaluation. Then, participants are introduced to the pain acceptance strategy and learn how to apply it to deal with their pain and somatic symptoms. Over the next two weeks, participants practice the strategy in their daily lives, and two weeks later, return for a final assessment session.

Exploring Maternal Reflective Functioning and Cognitive Shifts During the Transition to Motherhood

Barel Rafaeli, Lee; Cywiak, Vanessa; Aharak, Daniel; Enav, Yael; Okon-Singer, Hadas Reflective Functioning—the ability to attribute meaning, beliefs, and intentions to one’s own and others’ behaviors—is crucial in parenthood. The transition to motherhood brings significant psychological changes, increasing vulnerability to postpartum blues, anxiety, and depression. In Israel, this transition is further complicated by ongoing war, political violence, and recent terror events, which can heighten stress and negatively impact cognitive processes, including Reflective Functioning and maladaptive Cognitive Biases.

This research evaluates a group intervention designed to enhance Reflective Functioning during pregnancy and postpartum, assessing its impact on cognitive processes. Specifically, it aims to: (1) determine whether the intervention leads to cognitive processing changes in a general population of mentally healthy women, as measured by a cognitive battery, and (2) examine whether women who develop PPD—either in the control or intervention group—exhibit cognitive shifts due to the intervention. Additionally, the study explores whether modifying maladaptive cognitive biases through intervention can serve as a preventive measure for PPD.

Does Statistical Learning Play a Role in Emotional Processing?

My research is concerned with visual statistical learning of emotional information, which means how humans learn to perceive statistical regularities of emotional stimuli in their environment. My current studies deal with the way negative valence influences learning temporal patterns, how statistical learning modulates attention biases toward threatening items, and age differences in statistical learning of emotional stimuli.