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Sports Therapy Association
67 Saxilby Road
Sturton By Stow
Lincoln
LN1 2AA
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| Mon, Tues, Thur | 8am – 2pm |
| Wed, Fri | 3pm – 9pm |
OFFICE ANSWERPHONE
01522 670137
In Part 2 of our focus this month on ‘Understanding Pain in 2026’, we take a look at Predictive Processing (The brain guessing what is happening and outputting pain when it predicts danger) and Active Inference (The brain acting to confirm or update these guesses, shaping how you move, feel and interpret sensations).
Joining host Matt Phillips of Runchatlive.com are special guests Professor Dave Newell, Head of The Centre for Pain & Active Inference Research at Health Sciences University, and Anna Maria Mazzieri, a PhD student at Health Sciences University, and Director of The ST School.
The episode discusses how the brain builds models, predicts sensory input, and acts to minimize prediction error – shaping movement, sensation and chronic pain. The conversation covers embodiment, precision, therapeutic alliance, and practical implications for clinicians, including sense-making, creating safe liminal spaces, graded exposure and using touch as a communication tool.
Listeners are invited & encouraged to re-listen for deeper understanding and to use the episode’s insights to rethink clinical reasoning and patient-centred approaches to pain management.
Chapter Markers:
- 00:00:00 – Welcome to the STA Clinician Podcast
- 00:01:38 – Meet Professor Dave Newell and Anna Maria Mazzieri
- 00:03:25 – Anna-Maria’s PhD Journey
- 00:05:22 – The Centre for Pain & Active Inference Research
- 00:06:58 – Understanding Active Inference
- 00:15:46 – The Role of Active Inference
- 00:21:35 – Clinical Applications of Active Inference
- 00:23:17 – Contextual Factors in Pain
- 00:29:46 – The Concept of Self-Evidencing
- 00:37:38 – Chronic Pain and Active Inference
- 00:38:35 – Listener Questions
- 00:42:15 – Therapeutic Alliance in Pain Management
- 00:45:50 – Co-Creation in Therapy
- 00:48:30 – The Complexity of Pain
- 00:53:42 – Conclusion and Next Steps
Useful Links
- The Centre for Pain and Active Inference (PAIn) Research at HSU website: hsu.ac.uk/hsu-centre-for-pain-research/…
- The ST School website: thestschool.co.uk
Further Reading:
- An Embodied Predictive Processing Theory of Pain Experience: link.springer.com/article/…
- Therapeutic Alliance as Active Inference: The Role of Therapeutic Touch and Synchrony: frontiersin.org/journals/…
- MASSAG model: Towards an integrative neuroscience framework linking emotional trauma, pain, and mechanisms of force-based manipulations: sciencedirect.com/science/article/…
- Mark Miller on Predictive Processing – Todd Hargrove on Substack: toddhargrove.substack.com/…
Other Episodes:
- Part 1 – Ep.272 with Dr. Bronnie Lennox Thompson and Ben Whybrow – available on the Sports Therapy Association YouTube channel and all popular podcast apps.
- Part 3 Tues Feb 17th with special guest Dr. Rachel Dewar-Haggart, Postdoctoral Qualitative Researcher within the Medical Sociology & Health Experiences Research Group at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford.
- Part 4 Wed Feb 25th with special guest Dr. Rachel Zoffness, Pain scientist, International Speaker, Science Writer, with her new book “Tell Me Where It Hurts” coming out March 26th
Want to join the live recordings?
Episodes of the Sports Therapy Association podcast are recorded live every TUESDAY at 8pm on the Sports Therapy Association YOUTUBE CHANNEL and FACEBOOK page. Everyone is welcome – you do not have to be an STA member! If you cannot join us live, be sure to subscribe to the ‘Sports Therapy Association Podcast’ on all popular podcast apps to be notified when new episodes are available.
Interested in Joining The STA?
Use the code PODCAST25 to get 3 MONTHS EXTRA when you join for a single year! In other words, £75 will get you 15 months instead of 12! Only valid for NEW members. If you are Level 3 (qualified after 2014) make sure you choose the ‘associate member’ option.
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