Name: Session #5: Pain in the brain or pain in the body? An embodied cognition perspective on pain.
Start: 2026-10-16T10:00:00-0500
End: 2026-10-16T11:00:00-0500

Session #5: Pain in the brain or pain in the body? An embodied cognition perspective on pain.

Friday October 16, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am CDT

King of Glory Lutheran Church

Workshop Summary:

There are hundreds of millions of neurons outside the brain, distributed between the enteric system, spinal cord, heart, and peripheral nerves. While the brain's role in pain is undeniable, the line between brain- and bodily-cognition is far murkier. This talk draws on perspectives ranging from contemplative traditions that have treated pain as fundamentally embodied and agentive, to 4E cognition, to give a shared vocabulary to both somatic and more neuro-centric practitioners of pain.

Learning Objectives:

Describe the distributed architecture of the nervous system and explain why peripheral and spinal mechanisms are indispensable to a complete account of chronic pain
Identify a shared vocabulary that can bridge somatic and neuro-centric clinical approaches
Articulate the lens of embodied cognition as applied to clinical models of pain.

Speakers

Max Shen

Research Scientist

Max Shen is a researcher focused on resolving chronic pain through computational and contemplative approaches. He holds two degrees from MIT, has published in venues including NeurIPS, PNAS, and Artificial Intelligence Ethics and Society, and has shaped international biotech safety... Read More →

Friday October 16, 2026 10:00am - 11:00am CDT
King of Glory Lutheran Church

Keynote

Area Main Hall

2026 ATNS Conference

Max Shen

Get help with the event

2026 ATNS Conference

Max Shen

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