Peter O'Sullivan, PhD - From Patient to Person: Reclaiming Your Life From Chronic Pain

Chronic low back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide, yet it is rarely just a physical problem. Emerging research continues to highlight how beliefs, fears, and movement behaviours can play a central role in the persistence of pain. Could this also apply to other types of myofascial pain?

This webinar focuses on the latest research in persistent pain and how these multidimensional factors interact to shape an individual’s experience.

In this session, Peter O’Sullivan introduces Cognitive Functional Therapy (CFT), a person-centred approach that supports practitioners in integrating the biological, psychological, and social dimensions of pain into clinical practice.

Moving beyond fascial dysfunction, this webinar explores the unhelpful beliefs, fear-driven behaviours, and lifestyle factors that may perpetuate symptoms.

What this session will cover:

• The role of beliefs, fears, and movement patterns in chronic pain 

• Key insights from the latest persistent pain research 

• A structured clinical reasoning framework for complex presentations 

• The three core pillars of CFT: Making pain meaningful; Modifying pain-related behaviours; Addressing lifestyle factors (sleep, stress, activity) 

• Practical strategies for integrating a biopsychosocial approach into care

Join us for a session that reframes chronic pain, placing the person, not just the pathology, at the centre of practice.

About the speaker:

Peter O’Sullivan is a John Curtin Distinguished Professor at Curtin University and a Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist at https://bodylogic.physio/. He has led the development of Cognitive Functional Therapy, a person-centred approach for individuals with disabling low back pain.

With over 370 scientific publications, his work has significantly shaped contemporary understanding of persistent pain. CFT has demonstrated strong clinical efficacy, including in a landmark trial published in https://www.restorebackpain.com/

He is also the co-founder of  https://evoolvepaincare.academy/, a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to advancing clinician training in this approach.