Emotional Awareness and Expression Training (EAET)

Emotional Awareness and Expression Training (Therapy) (EAET) is a recently developed, emotion-focused, psychodynamic-informed therapy that seeks to address unresolved stressors, conflict, and traumas that are believed to drive or exacerbate Persistent physical symptoms (PPS). In other words: it is a psychological intervention designed to treat chronic pain by helping patients process psychological trauma and conflict to reduce pain. EAET is guided by three interdependent core treatment processes. These are reframing symptom explanations to reduce fear, fostering emotional processing, and facilitating corrective interpersonal experiences.


References:

Lumley, M. A., & Schubiner, H. (2019). Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy for Chronic Pain: Rationale, Principles and Techniques, Evidence, and Critical Review. Current Rheumatology Reports, 21(7), 12. Retrieved from: https://tinyurl.com/5ycrnxp5

Maroti, D., Frisch, S., & Lumley, M. A. (2025). To feel is to heal — introduction to Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy. Der Schmerz, 39(4), 256–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00482-025-00878-6

Ravyts, S. G., Carnahan, N., Campbell, C., Castillo, R., Wegener, S., Rassu, F. S., Lumley, M. A., & Aaron, R. (2025). Emotional awareness and expression therapy (EAET) for chronic pain following traumatic orthopaedic injury and surgery: study protocol for a single-arm feasibility clinical trial. BMJ Open, 15(3), 6. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-093102