Top-Down Pain Control

11/01/2026

Happy New Year from Australia to all Champions for Paediatric Pain out there. Just to let you folks know I am heading back to the UK and Europe in June and July 2026 and will be available for Distraction, Pain and Guided Imagery and Paediatric Palliative Care workshops. By the way, if you are outside the UK/Europe I go where the interest is. If you have a dozen people in your hospital/region who would be interested then please drop me a line via the contact link on the webpage at www.top-downpaincontrol.com/contact Please share. Best regards and here's to 2026! Bernie Whitaker

'THE WAY AHEAD'

20/02/2025

USA and Canada 23 July to 4 August 2025. Procedural Pain and Palliative Care Workshops available. Please get in contact if you are interested www.top-downpaincontrol.com/contact

20/02/2025

Procedural Pain and Palliative Care Workshops available in the UK and Europe 16 May to 12 June 2025. Please get in contact if you are interested www.top-downpaincontrol.com/contact

18/03/2024

For any Medical, Nursing and Allied Health Professionals interested in managing procedural pain and fear in children and adolescent, there are places available in the second scheduled Distraction Pain and Guided Imagery workshop in Dublin, Ireland 29 April 2024. For info/registration please contact via the webpage www.top-downpaincontrol.com/contact Kind regards Dr Bernie Whitaker

27/02/2024

Unbelievable desperation from these Medics.

20/01/2023

You can download audio of Bernie Whitaker demonstrating the mindful distraction technique as well as audio of guided imagery for procedural pain management in children and adolescents at

If you copy or download any material including the audio files below then in doing so you agree to the terms and conditions, which can be found here. In particular Clause 12 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY and CONFIDENTIALITY

22/06/2022

Attn: Medical, Nursing and Allied Health Professionals in Paediatrics UK and Europe: Online Zoom Workshop. Distraction, Pain and Guided Imagery 4 August 2022 GMT 08.30 - 1600. Brochure and Registration via www.top-downpaincontrol.com/contact

25/10/2021

Attn: Health Professionals in Paediatrics UK and Europe: Online Zoom Workshop. Distraction, Pain and Guided Imagery 6 Dec 2021 GMT 08.30 - 1600. Brochure and Registration via www.top-downpaincontrol.com/contact

08/04/2020

In our lifetimes this is clearly an unprecedented time of world-wide stress for friends, family, colleagues and employees. With this in mind, I have added a new page to the TDPC website with a few ACT-based skills for living and working with the unavoidable stress of this pandemic - whether at work or at home.

Here is the link where you can read and also download a pdf version: http://www.top-downpaincontrol.com/act-on-coronavirus-and-covid19-stress

Keep well and keep safe, Bernie Whitaker

The world is currently in an unprecedented state of stress. What can you; a parent, brother, sister, nurse, doctor, essential service employee, grandparent, or you home alone... do when faced with the daily stress and worry that is coming in waves?

08/08/2019

New Definition of Pain up for comment:
'An aversive sensory and emotional experience typically caused by, or resembling that caused by, actual or potential tissue injury'.
The IASP has just invited comment on the new proposed definition of pain here:
https://www.iasp-pain.org/PublicationsNews/NewsDetail.aspx?ItemNumber=9218&navItemNumber=643
For me, the word 'emotional' is psychologically limiting (the big 5 - fear, anger, sadness, disgust and joy) I would prefer 'cognitive', which includes: memory, emotion, language, learning, thought and consciousness. They have included 'social' in the notes but in my view the social aspect of pain is significant and important enough to have it in the definition. This will be the basis of my feedback/comment. Always good to waive the flag for paediatric pain. For those of you who work with children and adolescents and pain go to the IASP link and make your comments by 11:59 ET (UTC/GMT -4) on 11 September 2019. Cheers Bernie Whitaker

03/11/2018

There are a couple of places left in the Distraction, Pain and Guided Imagery workshop coming up in Reigate Saturday 17 November. For more info or to register email me at b.whitaker@top-downpaincontrol.com or contact via the website. Bernie Whitaker

06/02/2018

Hi, I saw these cool seats in the play area at Oslo Gardermoen Airport and immediately thought of you folks around the world in Child Life/Play Therapy. I had a closer sticky (=Aus for look) and found they are made by a well-known international company (pic 3). I checked their website and they are available. Maybe you have them already, if not take a look. Cheers, Bernie Whitaker