Empowered Relief · Pain Skills Library

Who it is for

People living with persistent pain who can attend one certified ~2-hour group class (in person or Zoom), usually after medical evaluation of new or unexplained symptoms. Not a book, app, or do-it-yourself course.

What it is, and how to begin

Empowered Relief® is a ~2-hour group class taught from a fixed lesson by a Stanford-certified clinician. Beth Darnall, PhD, developed it. You learn a short set of pain-CBT skills: spot unhelpful pain thoughts, reframe them, practice a relaxation response, and write a 3-step plan. There is a brief talk on how pain works. You go home with official relaxation audio. It is not 8-week CBT, not MBSR, not ACT, not pain reprocessing, and not a self-paced app. It is not a religious or contemplative path. Pain is treated as real.

How to ask for it

Find a certified instructor on Stanford’s Find a Provider page. Filter by country or state. Many classes have online registration.
Also ask a pain clinic, primary-care program, VA, or health-system class list. Some large systems list this as regular care.
Attend the one ~2-hour group, in person or on Zoom. You will hear a short pain-science talk, practice spotting and reframing unhelpful pain thoughts, practice a relaxation response (slow breathing or muscle release), and write a 3-step plan.
After class, use the official 10- or 20-minute binaural relaxation audio with headphones. Instructors often suggest daily use for about 3 months. The audio is a stereo relaxation track, not energy healing. A plain breathing or muscle-release practice is fine if you prefer that.
When pain or distress rises, use the written plan: notice the thought, reframe it, settle the body, do the planned soothing action.
If function, mood, or practice is still thin, ask about full-course pain CBT. The trial authors say Empowered Relief is not meant to replace 8-session CBT.

The official class page is empoweredrelief.stanford.edu. There is no official consumer app or patient book that is the class. Digital adaptations exist as research products. They are not the standard live class.

If the class mentions mindfulness principles, that means noticing a thought or sensation in the present moment as a clinic attention skill. It is not a spiritual path.

This page is educational information only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Talk with a licensed clinician before changing your care, especially if pain is new, worsening, unexplained, or you have other health conditions. Do not stop medications or ignore warning symptoms based on what you read here. Pain is real. Nothing here means it is all in your head.

Evidence, said carefully

Moderate. One NIH-funded trial of 263 adults with chronic low back pain (JAMA Network Open, 2021) found a single Empowered Relief class noninferior to 8-session group CBT on pain catastrophizing and most other measures at 3 months. It was inferior to CBT for physical function at 3 months. A 6-month follow-up of the same trial (Pain Reports, 2024) found most of those noninferiority results still held. The authors say not to treat this class as a replacement for CBT, and that more data are needed in diverse patients. The sample was mostly White, non-Hispanic, and college-educated. A smaller Zoom study compared the class only with a wait list, not with CBT. That result should not be folded into the vs-CBT line.

Cautions

This class is not a diagnosis or a cure. New, worsening, or unexplained pain still needs a clinician. Trial authors say it is not meant to replace full-course pain CBT. The vs-CBT evidence is one selected low-back-pain trial at one academic site. The official binaural audio is stereo relaxation with headphones, not energy healing. If the class mentions mindfulness principles, that is clinic attention (noticing the present moment), not a spiritual path. Stanford receives CME and certification revenue for instructor workshops. Dr. Darnall discloses book royalties. Cost and insurance coverage vary. The class directory does not guarantee a free seat.