Pain Research Meeting 2026: Hosting 53 international pain researchers

From 14th to 16th September 2026, the castle in Edesheim was filled with conversations and discussions in English, Dutch, French and Swedish, both inside the conference room and in the beautiful castle gardens.The Pain Research Meeting 2026, hosted by the Verein für Forschung und Weiterbildung in Psychologischer Psychotherapie (WiPP e.V.) in collaboration with the Pain and Psychotherapy Research Lab of the RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau, brought together international pain researchers from six countries. Some of the first colleagues to arrive were from Stanford University, and they arrived four days early to allow time for a city tour and a presentation on chronic pain treatment for children and adolescents, which was attended by researchers and therapists from the clinical psychology training units of the RPTU. More colleagues arrived on Sunday and enjoyed the beautiful Palatinate summer until the programme started on Monday. The meeting emphasised PhD students’ presentations of their ongoing projects, offering insights into the ongoing debate about the definition of pain concepts and the key mechanisms of pain, such as reward and learning. It covered current developments in clinical interventions and the social aspects of pain. In the keynote address, findings from a large multi-site randomised controlled trial (RCT) led by Julia Anna Glombiewski testing an exposure-based treatment for chronic low back pain against cognitive behavioural therapy were presented and streamed to around 50 therapists who joined the presentation online. There was also a therapist-patient dyad who shared their experiences of a clinical trial, as well as a poster session in the castle’s wine cellar and round tables covering diverse topics such as the ergodicity problem and social justice issues in pain. The highlight of the meeting was a wine tasting tour through the surrounding vineyards, which allowed everyone to experience the joyful and warm atmosphere of the Palatinate region.