I'm excited to have Sabrina and Peter, our guests, here with me today. Before we dive into our conversation, I'd like to start by introducing them and their work to you.

At the time of recording, Sabrina Coninx was a postdoctoral researcher at the Royal University Bohan in Germany. Since then she has moved and is now **Assistant Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, co-coordinating the Research Master Philosophy of Neuroscience. She specializes in philosophy and is interested in the intersection of philosophy and science. Her work focuses on pain, bodily sensations, and emotion regulation.

At the time of recording, Peter Stillwell was a postdoctoral researcher at McGill University in the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy. He is currently on a 2-year Marie Curie Fellowship at the University of Southern Denmark. His background is in kinesiology, anatomy, biomechanics, chiropractic, and rehabilitation research. His research interests include pain, social sciences, phenomenology, and communication.

Now, onto the topic of pain. Defining pain is a complex task, as there are many different interpretations and meanings associated with it. Sabrina suggests that we should start by looking at language and how the term "pain" is used in everyday life. She highlights the importance of being careful not to get trapped by labels and categories when talking about pain. Instead, we should strive to find a language that is accessible to laypeople and accurately reflects the nuances of the topic.

Peter emphasises the personal experience of pain and the difficulty of directly observing or invalidating someone else's pain. He notes that pain is influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors, and is interested in understanding how these factors are connected.