Meehae Song co-led a 6-week Chronic Pain Self Management Workshop (Sep. 17- Oct. 29) through the University of Victoria at the Glenn Pine Pavillion in Coquitlam for 13 people living with chronic pain.
Dr. Diane Gromala has begun research in the Liebeskind History of Pain Collection, which are located are in the Louise M. Darling BioMedical Library at UCLA in Los Angeles.
The collection includes oral histories from the pioneers in pain research, along with rare medical books and collections of printed matter, physical objects, written records and other witnesses of history.
Do you want to participate in our research studies? Study opportunities range from a single 30 minute session to 15-20 minutes a day for 2 weeks. All studies have passed rigorous ethics boards at SFU and University of Toronto. Your name & information will be kept strictly confidential. Current opportunities include:
- Virtual meditative walk: human subject studies in Vancouver & Surrey, BC; spring 2012. Contact Meehae Song: meehaes@sfu.ca
- Sonic cradle: human subject studies in Surrey, BC (dates to be determined) and UCLA, last week of November 2011. Email Jay: kvidyart@sfu.ca
- Sitting meditation: human subject studies Stanford area, March & April 2012. Email Diane: gromala@sfu.ca
- Haptic creature (furry robot): human subject studies Vancouver, anticipated Summer 2012. Contact Mark: mna31@sfu.ca
- Social media (with the University of Toronto): human subject studies CURRENTLY: for people who:
- are 55+ years old
- have chronic pain and
- live in the Vancouver or Toronto areas.
The diary study requires an estimated 15-20 minutes of your time per day, for two weeks. We are studying communication patterns. Participants will receive $10. each week when they turn in their weekly diary. Email Jessica: jessica@taglab.ca.
- Virtual Reality, Art Therapy: we are seeking art therapists to participate in interviews spring 2012. Any geographic location in North America. Please contact Meehae Song: meehaes@sfu.ca
Utilizing Science, Technology and the Arts to Transform Pain
October 19, 2011 at 2pm PDT
Prof. Diane Gromala, PhD
Pain is universal to human existence. One in five Canadians experiences chronic pain. On average, they wait two to five years before seeing a pain specialist. This webinar features Prof. Diane Gromala, who has suffered from chronic pain for several decades. She will provide an overview of the exciting potential of new technologies and interaction design in helping to improve the lives of people who live with long-term chronic pain.
This webinar will offer some fascinating highlights on:
- immersive VR research: promising early results,
- studies in the use of robotics to alleviate anxiety,
- new developments in using social media to combat social isolation,
- the importance of conducting research studies and participating in them.
See www.cirpd.org/GetInvolved/Webinars/Pages/ScienceTechWebinar.aspx for more information.
PhD student Tyler Fox presented Metaplasticity and Inner Body Schemas: VR for Chronic Pain at the International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) in Istanbul, Turkey September, 18th, 2011. The paper, part of a panel on current VR research, focused on three of the works-in-progress in our lab: The Virtual Meditative Walk, The Sonic Cradle, and a sitting meditation planned around a new virtual environment created by our partners at FirstHand in Seattle.
PhD student Tyler Fox presented his paper Permeable Embodiment: Bacteria and Indeterminate Embodiment at the Society for Literature, Science and the Arts (SLSA) 2011 conference in Kitchener, Ontario September 24th. Tylers paper focused on our symbiotic relationship to bacteria, an important aspect of his current research and art projects.
Terry Lavender attended a four-day Cultivating Leadership Presence through Mindfulness retreat offered by the Institute for Mindful Leadership, Sept. 14-18, 2011. The retreat included training in walking and sitting meditation, silent meditation, and cultivating presence. He will be incorporating what he learned both in his daily life and his research with the pain group.
Meehae Song attended a 6 day Mindfulness Retreat with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn and the monks and nuns at Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, CA. She practiced sitting and walking meditation daily starting at 5:30AM and also attended sessions for deep relaxation and community working meditation. Mindfulness starts with each breath and she is trying to bring this into her daily life and as she works with leading chronic pain workshops and develops VR applications for chronic pain.
PhD Student and research member, Tyler Fox, presented his paper Material Possthumanism: (Re)Configurations of Practice at Virtual Futures 2.0, a revival of the cult conference in the UK. Featuring members from the original Virtual Futures, such as performance artist Stelarc, science fiction author Pat Cadigan, and computer scientist Kevin Warwick, the conference focused on how digital technologies impact our lives and shape our futures, as well as what has turned out differently from the expectations from the original Virtual Futures conferences in the mid-90s. Tylers paper focused on the intersections of bioart and science and was part of the Future Concerns of Bio-Technology panel.
Chronic pain sufferers who learn to dwell less on their ailments may sleep better and experience less day-to-day pain, according to results of research conducted on people with chronic face and jaw pain.
See on www.sciencedaily.com