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Fibromyalgia can be considered to be a model of chronic pain resulting from dysregulation of pain processing. From a psychological point of view, it is possible to consider transdiagnostic processes that would participate in both the dysregulation of pain and associated emotions., Objective: The aim of this study was to test the links that exist between the tendency to Repetitive Negative Thinking (RNT) and the anxious-depressive manifestations in fibromyalgia. More specifically, we wanted to test a double mediation model where RNT would mediate the link between pain and depression/anxiety via catastrophizing., Method: Eighty-two patients with fibromyalgia completed a series of questionnaires evaluating their level of depression, anxiety, disability related to pain, catastrophizing as well as various measures of Repetitive Thoughts., Results: The results showed strong correlations between RNT levels, pain, and anxious-depressive manifestations in this population. Moreover, the links between pain and depression/anxiety were mediated by catastrophizing and RNT in serial., Conclusion: Results support the interest of studying RNT as a transdiagnostic process in fibromyalgia pain. Considering RNT in fibromyalgia allows a better understanding of tthe links that exist between pain and emotional disorders in this population and thus to better understand the psychopathological comorbidity of fibromyalgia., (Copyright © 2023 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Some fibromyalgia (FM) patients engage in rumination (i.e. a chain of repetitive, passive and relatively uncontrollable thoughts focused on negative content) to cope with the pain and discomfort of daily activities. The partial model of rumination in chronic pain suggests that rumination processes may play a causal role in maintaining pain. Rumination might also be one of the key factors interfering with the reestablishment of adapted physical activity. The objective of this study was to test how rumination vs. distraction induction influence FM patients' pain intensity, discomfort linked to pain, and affect after physical activity. Forty-seven participants with a diagnosis of FM were randomly assigned to undergo distraction induction vs. rumination induction after performing a physical activity in ecological setting. Their pain intensity, pain-related discomfort, and affect were measured at the baseline, after physical activity, and after rumination versus distraction induction. A series of mixed-design ANOVAs showed that rumination induction after physical activity impairs patients' recovery in terms of pain intensity and discomfort, but not affect, as compared to the distraction condition. In conclusion, participants with fibromyalgia who engage in rumination following a physical activity recover less from their pain experience as compared to distraction induction. These results are consistent with the partial model of rumination in chronic pain and support the idea that rumination may play a causal role in the development and maintenance of pain., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: Pain is a common experience, both physical and emotional. However we often feel powerless with our patients suffering pain. This paper aims to give a new heuristic and psychological understanding of pain., Methodology: According to new theories, recent researches as well as different points of view, we form an analogy between pain and emotion. Throughout historical considerations pain has always been perceived through theories and beliefs, changing its definition. This is also the case for emotion. Could they be two ways of expressing a single phenomenon?, Results: First, we must clarify the definition of emotion. In past, emotion was considered as a multiple-conditioned notion. To be considered as an emotion the pain had to fill numerous features, which differ according to the scientific opinions. The emotion may be considered as a physical expression or perceived only as the consequences of a real emotion, i.e., the subjective feeling. We propose as a way of thinking that emotion brings together these two concepts. We support a flexible vision of emotion. To investigate the field of the emotion different mental steps may be thought of: we should conceive of the emotion as a stimulus, as an emotional evaluation and as a tendency to action, which becomes an emotional response. These steps are colored by subjective feelings. It can be summarized in three levels: the situation decoding (1), the response organization (2) and the effectiveness of the response (3). Second pain can be considered as a complex notion involving personal and subjective feelings. We can use multidimensional patterns and consider emotion with its multiple features: the generating mechanisms, the pain perception, the pain behavior and the environment. Each stage can be divided in different ways. Hence pain treatment could be approached as an emotional treatment. Indeed, we can make a link between generating mechanisms and emotion situation decoding, between pain perception and emotion situation decoding and response organization, between pain behavior and environment and emotion response effectiveness and consequences. A heuristic analogy can be formed enriching therapeutic possibilities. First, emotion and pain could be considered as a unique phenomenon that can be expressed in different ways. We can let aside the opposition between psychological and physiological: these are two different levels of a same phenomenon. This point of view can be helpful to treat pain disorders because the skills to manage emotion disorders are well known., (Copyright © 2017 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)