Webinar Asaf Weisman PhD Candidate: The language and logic of pain

The Language and Logic of Pain — Understanding What Pain Really Means

This thought-provoking lecture by Asaf Weisman, MSc PT and PhD candidate at Tel Aviv University, challenges clinicians to rethink how we talk about and understand pain. Drawing from philosophy of science, linguistics, and contemporary pain research, Weisman exposes the hidden assumptions that shape how professionals conceptualize, measure, and communicate about pain.

By analyzing the language and logic of pain, participants learn why common terms such as “pain processing,” “pain sensitivity,” or “centralized pain” are epistemologically and logically flawed. Pain, Weisman argues, is not a “thing” — it is a subjective experience, inseparable from consciousness, and should never be confused with nociception or stimulus.

Through real cases and examples from the scientific literature, the course clarifies how such conceptual errors influence both research and clinical reasoning.

Learning Highlights

• Explore the philosophical and linguistic roots of pain terminology.
• Understand why “congenital insensitivity to pain” is a misnomer, and why “congenital nociceptor deficiency” better reflects reality.
• Examine logical fallacies such as reification, circular reasoning, and the mereological fallacy in pain science.
• Reflect on how language shapes empathy, clinical interaction, and scientific discourse.
• Develop a critical and coherent vocabulary for communicating about pain with patients and peers.

Who Should Attend

• Physiotherapists, manual therapists, and healthcare professionals interested in advancing their understanding of pain beyond biological mechanisms — toward a deeper, philosophical, and linguistic comprehension that enhances clinical reasoning and patient care.

Learning Goals

1. Critically analyse linguistic and logical frameworks used in pain science and clinical communication, identifying epistemological errors such as reification, conflation of nociception and pain, and the mereological fallacy.
2. Evaluate the impact of language on professional reasoning and patient care, demonstrating how word choice and conceptual metaphors influence diagnostic thinking, empathy, and therapeutic decision-making.
3. Integrate philosophical and neuroscientific perspectives to construct coherent arguments about the nature of pain as a subjective experience rather than an objective stimulus or entity.
4. Assess and reformulate scientific terminology (e.g. “pain sensitivity,” “central pain,” “pain processing”) in accordance with logical consistency and current pain definitions from the International Association for the Study of Pain.
5. Design a linguistically precise framework for clinical communication, enabling transparent, patient-centred explanations of pain that align with contemporary understanding of nociception, perception, and experience.

About the Presenter

Asaf Weisman brings a unique combination of clinical and academic expertise to this topic. As a Ph.D. candidate at Tel-Aviv University under Prof. Youssef Masharawi, Asaf's research spans musculoskeletal medicine, spinal morphometry, biomechanics, and both acute and chronic pain. With two decades of experience as a physiotherapist, he integrates philosophy into his work, offering a well-rounded approach to pain science.

Accreditation

This webinar is accredited by Kwaliteitshuis Fysiotherapie (KNGF and Keurmerk) and PQK, ensuring that it meets the highest standards for professional education in physiotherapy.

Whether you are a seasoned physiotherapist or a student looking to deepen your understanding of pain, this webinar is a valuable opportunity to explore the science, philosophy, and language behind this complex experience. Don't miss this chance to gain new tools and insights that will improve your practice.