Holistic Healing: A Research Study on Pain

We are excited to be participating in a research study that can help you and other people living with pain and other chronic symptoms.

Dr. Vania Apkarian, a neuroscientist at Northwestern, is one of the world’s foremost researchers on chronic pain and the brain, and his research has confirmed that chronic pain lives in the emotional regions of the brain. This explains why chronic physical pain becomes so intricately linked with anxiety, fear, panic, depression, and trauma memories, causing the nervous system to go into overdrive. You can learn more about Dr. Apkarian’s work here.

Dr. Apkarian is working with Aivo Health to put that research into practice to help people overcome their pain. The therapeutic app that Aivo has built combines the tools needed to support healing the emotional brain: positive emotional learning, recuperative rest and sleep hygiene, exercise, trauma-informed mindfulness meditations, and expert pain education. The program is personalized to your daily pain, mood, and sleep, and is guided by science-based algorithms to reduce your symptoms as they ebb and flow. 

And it is testing this app in the everyday lives of people with pain and other chronic symptoms that we are excited to participate in! In Aivo's first clinical trial, 68% of people experienced pain relief, slept better and experienced a more positive mood, and Aivo continues to refine the app to make it as effective as possible. 


No matter where you are on your journey of healing from pain and other chronic symptoms, we invite you to join this study to learn whether the research-based tools will help you—and others—move forward with healing more quickly. The program is designed to work with any medication, coaching, or other modalities that you’re already doing.

What to Expect

  • 20-minute onboarding process, including consent to participate in the study

  • 3-month commitment of 10-15 minutes per day

  • Twice daily pain, mood, and sleep ratings to map your pain in high detail

  • Read, watch, and listen to therapeutic messages and information

  • Keep an open mind as you integrate new habits and routines into your life

  • The app helps you focus on one key goal or habit at a time

We’re excited to announce that the study is FREE to join for the Cormendi community.

To help make history,
visit the Aivo Health website to sign up:

If you have any questions about whether you’d be a good fit for the study, reach out to Lisa Stracks at lisa@cormendihealth.com. If you have questions about how the app itself works, contact Dr. Melissa Farmer at research@aivohealth.com.

Because you are a member of our Cormendi community, it’s important to use the link we provide here to ensure you get free access to the Aivo Program and to enter the same email you use to subscribe to the Cormendi newsletter. After you fill out the eligibility survey, you’ll receive an email with a personal code that gives you access to the study. If you have any questions about how to use this code, email research@aivohealth.com and they’ll walk you through the process.

We are excited to have this opportunity to support your healing journey and to continue to build the knowledge that will help so many!