Wolf Mehling, MD
Professor
Family Community Medicine
School of Medicine

Mehling earned his medical degree and completed his residency at the University of Hamburg in Germany. He worked in private practice in Germany for 12 years before moving to the United States, where he completed a residency in family practice at Sutter Health. He then completed a clinical research fellowship in family medicine at UCSF.

Mehling has studied manual therapy, psychotherapy and various techniques of bodywork, such as breath therapy, Feldenkrais Method, yoga, massage and Rolfing. He also has instructed German physicians and physical therapists in manual therapy. Currently, he is professor emeritus on recall for research.

• Mind your pain: A single-arm feasibility study to assess a smartphone-based interoceptive attention training for patients with chronic low back pain.
  PloS one 2024 Mehling WE, Strigo IA, Goldman V, Hartogensis W, Adler SR, Lotz J, Hecht FM
• How Bud Craig's Insights Reshape the Research on Pain and Mind-Body Therapies.
  Current topics in behavioral neurosciences 2024 Mehling WE
• Enhancing chronic low back pain management: an initial neuroimaging study of a mobile interoceptive attention training.
  Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) 2024 Strigo IA, Guerra SG, Torrisi S, Murphy E, Toor T, Goldman V, Alter BJ, Vu AT, Hecht R, Lotz J, Simmons AN, Mehling WE
• Chronic Low Back Pain Causal Risk Factors Identified by Mendelian Randomization: a Cross-Sectional Cohort Analysis.
  medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences 2024 Zheng P, Scheffler A, Ewing S, Hue T, Jones S, Morshed S, Mehling W, Torres-Espin A, Galivanche A, Lotz J, Peterson T, O'Neill C, REACH investigators
• Livestream, group movement program for people living with cognitive impairment and care partners: A randomized clinical trial.
  Alzheimer's & dementia (New York, N. Y.) 2024 Barnes DE, Jiang F, Benjamin C, Lee JA, Sudore RL, Mehling WE, Chesney MA, Chao LL, Nicosia FM
• Interoceptive bodily awareness in patients seeking pain relief with osteopathic manipulative treatment: an observational cohort pilot study.
  Journal of osteopathic medicine 2024 Emmet DK, Davis G, Pierce-Talsma S, Shubrook JH, Mehling W
• Design of the COMEBACK and BACKHOME Studies, Longitudinal Cohorts for Comprehensive Deep Phenotyping of Adults with Chronic Low-Back Pain (cLBP): a part of the BACPAC Research Program.
  medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences 2024 Hue TF, Lotz JC, Zheng P, Black DM, Bailey J, Ewing SK, Fields AJ, Mehling W, Scheffler A, Strigo I, Petterson T, Wu LA, O'Neill C, UCSF REACH Center, the CoRe CEnter for PAtient-Centric Mechanistic …
• [Evidence-based interventions to treat chronic low back pain: treatment selection for a personalized medicine approach : German version].
  Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) 2024 Mauck MC, Aylward AF, Barton CE, Birckhead B, Carey T, Dalton DM, Fields AJ, Fritz J, Hassett AL, Hoffmeyer A, Jones SB, McLean SA, Mehling WE, O'Neill CW, Schneider MJ, Williams DA, Zheng P, Wasan AD
• Adaptation of an In-Person Mind-Body Movement Program for People with Cognitive Impairment or Dementia and Care Partners for Online Delivery: Feasibility, Satisfaction and Participant-Reported Outcomes.
  Global advances in integrative medicine and health 2023 Nicosia FM, Lee JA, Chesney MA, Benjamin C, Lee AN, Mehling W, Sudore RL, Barnes DE
• Biobehavioral Assessments in BACPAC: Recommendations, Rationale, and Methods.
  Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) 2023 Greco CM, Wasan AD, Schneider MJ, Mehling W, Williams DA, Darwin J, Harte SE
• The Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Research Program Data Harmonization: Rationale for Data Elements and Standards.
  Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) 2023 Batorsky A, Bowden AE, Darwin J, Fields AJ, Greco CM, Harris RE, Hue TF, Kakyomya J, Mehling W, O'Neill C, Patterson CG, Piva SR, Sollmann N, Toups V, Wasan AD, Wasserman R, Williams DA, Vo NV, Psioda…
• Theoretical Schemas to Guide Back Pain Consortium (BACPAC) Chronic Low Back Pain Clinical Research.
  Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) 2023 Chau A, Steib S, Whitaker E, Kohns D, Quinter A, Craig A, Chiodo A, Chandran S, Laidlaw A, Schott Z, Farlow N, Yarjanian J, Omwanghe A, Wasserman R, O'Neill C, Clauw D, Bowden A, Marras W, Carey T, …
• CAPER: patient preferences to inform nonsurgical treatment of chronic low back pain: a discrete-choice experiment.
  Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) 2023 Wilson L, Zheng P, Ionova Y, Denham A, Yoo C, Ma Y, Greco CM, Hanmer J, Williams DA, Hassett AL, Scheffler AW, Valone F, Mehling W, Berven S, Lotz J, O'Neill C
• The multidimensional assessment of interoceptive awareness, version 2: Translation and psychometric properties of the Chinese version.
  Frontiers in psychiatry 2022 Teng B, Wang D, Su C, Zhou H, Wang T, Mehling WE, Hu Y
• Evidence-based interventions to treat chronic low back pain: treatment selection for a personalized medicine approach.
  Pain reports 2022 Mauck MC, Aylward AF, Barton CE, Birckhead B, Carey T, Dalton DM, Fields AJ, Fritz J, Hassett AL, Hoffmeyer A, Jones SB, McLean SA, Mehling WE, O'Neill CW, Schneider MJ, Williams DA, Zheng P, Wasan AD
• Yoga for firefighters: Evaluation of a quality improvement program in California fire departments.
  Journal of bodywork and movement therapies 2022 Floyd E, Rackelmann S, McQuaide S, Hartogensis W, Mehling W
• Qigong Training Positively Impacts Both Posture and Mood in Breast Cancer Survivors With Persistent Post-surgical Pain: Support for an Embodied Cognition Paradigm.
  Frontiers in psychology 2022 Quixadá AP, Miranda JGV, Osypiuk K, Bonato P, Vergara-Diaz G, Ligibel JA, Mehling W, Thompson ET, Wayne PM
• Capnometric feedback training decreases 24-h blood pressure in hypertensive postmenopausal women.
  BMC cardiovascular disorders 2021 Anderson DE, Reeves AN, Mehling WE, Chesney MA
• Guys and dolls: Two case reports of spontaneous interactions with dolls in male veterans with dementia.
  Psychological services 2021 Malinowski SD, Nicosia F, Mehling W, Woodstock R, Barnes DE
• Similarities and Differences in Interoceptive Bodily Awareness Between US-American and Japanese Cultures: A Focus-Group Study in Bicultural Japanese-Americans.
  Culture, medicine and psychiatry 2021 Freedman A, Hu H, Liu ITHC, Stewart AL, Adler S, Mehling WE
• Preventing Loss of Independence through Exercise (PLIÉ): A Pilot Trial in Older Adults with Subjective Memory Decline and Mild Cognitive Impairment.
  Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD 2021 Chao LL, Lee JA, Martinez S, Barlow C, Chesney MA, Mehling WE, Barnes DE
• Adaptive and Maladaptive Bodily Awareness: Distinguishing Interoceptive Sensibility and Interoceptive Attention from Anxiety-Induced Somatization in Autism and Alexithymia.
  Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research 2020 Trevisan DA, Mehling WE, McPartland JC
• Exploring the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness in youth aged 7-17 years.
  Journal of clinical psychology 2020 Jones A, Silas J, Todd J, Stewart A, Acree M, Coulson M, Mehling WE
• Students' response to a Massage & Meditation medical school course elective.
  MedEdPublish (2016) 2020 Binstock M, Morinis L, Adler S, Mehling WE
• Students’ response to a Massage & Meditation medical school course elective
  MedEdPublish 2020 Maxwell Binstock, Leora Morinis, Shelley Adler, Wolf E. Mehling
• Dyadic Group Exercises for Persons with Memory Deficits and Care Partners: Mixed-Method Findings from the Paired Preventing Loss of Independence through Exercise (PLIÉ) Randomized Trial.
  Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD 2020 Mehling WE, Scott TM, Duffy J, Whitmer RA, Chesney MA, Boscardin WJ, Barnes DE
• Exercise treatment effect modifiers in persistent low back pain: an individual participant data meta-analysis of 3514 participants from 27 randomised controlled trials.
  British journal of sports medicine 2019 Hayden JA, Wilson MN, Stewart S, Cartwright JL, Smith AO, Riley RD, van Tulder M, Bendix T, Cecchi F, Costa LOP, Dufour N, Ferreira ML, Foster NE, Gudavalli MR, Hartvigsen J, Helmhout P, Kool J, …
• An integrative group movement program for people with dementia and care partners together (Paired PLIÉ): initial process evaluation.
  Aging & mental health 2019 Casey JJ, Harrison KL, Ventura MI, Mehling W, Barnes DE
• The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2).
  PloS one 2018 Mehling WE, Acree M, Stewart A, Silas J, Jones A
• Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness: Psychometric Properties of the Portuguese Version.
  Perceptual and motor skills 2018 Machorrinho J, Veiga G, Fernandes J, Mehling W, Marmeleira J
• Investigating Multidimensional Interoceptive Awareness in a Japanese Population: Validation of the Japanese MAIA-J.
  Frontiers in psychology 2018 Shoji M, Mehling WE, Hautzinger M, Herbert BM
• Postural awareness and its relation to pain: validation of an innovative instrument measuring awareness of body posture in patients with chronic pain.
  BMC musculoskeletal disorders 2018 Cramer H, Mehling WE, Saha FJ, Dobos G, Lauche R
• Being aware of the painful body: Validation of the German Body Awareness Questionnaire and Body Responsiveness Questionnaire in patients with chronic pain.
  PloS one 2018 Cramer H, Lauche R, Daubenmier J, Mehling W, Büssing A, Saha FJ, Dobos G, Shields SA
• Interoception and Mental Health: A Roadmap.
  Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging 2017 Khalsa SS, Adolphs R, Cameron OG, Critchley HD, Davenport PW, Feinstein JS, Feusner JD, Garfinkel SN, Lane RD, Mehling WE, Meuret AE, Nemeroff CB, Oppenheimer S, Petzschner FH, Pollatos O, Rhudy JL, …
• Veterans Group Exercise: A randomized pilot trial of an Integrative Exercise program for veterans with posttraumatic stress.
  Journal of affective disorders 2017 Goldstein LA, Mehling WE, Metzler TJ, Cohen BE, Barnes DE, Choucroun GJ, Silver A, Talbot LS, Maguen S, Hlavin JA, Chesney MA, Neylan TC
• A 12-week integrative exercise program improves self-reported mindfulness and interoceptive awareness in war veterans with posttraumatic stress symptoms.
  Journal of clinical psychology 2017 Mehling WE, Chesney MA, Metzler TJ, Goldstein LA, Maguen S, Geronimo C, Agcaoili G, Barnes DE, Hlavin JA, Neylan TC
• Holding the body in mind: Interoceptive awareness, dispositional mindfulness and psychological well-being.
  Journal of psychosomatic research 2017 Hanley AW, Mehling WE, Garland EL
• Translation and Psychometric Testing of the Chinese Version of the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness.
  The journal of nursing research : JNR 2017 Lin FL, Hsu CC, Mehling W, Yeh ML
• Editorial: Interoception, Contemplative Practice, and Health.
  Frontiers in psychology 2016 Farb N, Mehling WE
• Differentiating attention styles and regulatory aspects of self-reported interoceptive sensibility.
  Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences 2016 Mehling W
• Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Body Awareness in Patients with Chronic Pain and Comorbid Depression.
  Frontiers in psychology 2016 de Jong M, Lazar SW, Hug K, Mehling WE, Hölzel BK, Sack AT, Peeters F, Ashih H, Mischoulon D, Gard T
• Training in ChiRunning to reduce blood pressure: a randomized controlled pilot study.
  BMC complementary and alternative medicine 2015 McDermott K, Kumar D, Goldman V, Feng H, Mehling W, Moskowitz JT, Souza RB, Hecht FM
• Investigating the relationship between interoceptive accuracy, interoceptive awareness, and emotional susceptibility.
  Frontiers in psychology 2015 Calì G, Ambrosini E, Picconi L, Mehling WE, Committeri G
• Low back pain has a poor prognosis for recovery among seniors.
  Evidence-based medicine 2015 Mehling WE
• Interoception, contemplative practice, and health.
  Frontiers in psychology 2015 Farb N, Daubenmier J, Price CJ, Gard T, Kerr C, Dunn BD, Klein AC, Paulus MP, Mehling WE
• Clinical decision rule for primary care patient with acute low back pain at risk of developing chronic pain.
  The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society 2015 Mehling WE, Ebell MH, Avins AL, Hecht FM
• Can a back pain screening tool help classify patients with acute pain into risk levels for chronic pain?
  European journal of pain (London, England) 2015 Mehling WE, Avins AL, Acree MC, Carey TS, Hecht FM
• Preventing loss of independence through exercise (PLIÉ): a pilot clinical trial in older adults with dementia.
  PloS one 2015 Barnes DE, Mehling W, Wu E, Beristianos M, Yaffe K, Skultety K, Chesney MA
• Differential changes in self-reported aspects of interoceptive awareness through 3 months of contemplative training.
  Frontiers in psychology 2015 Bornemann B, Herbert BM, Mehling WE, Singer T
• Preventing Loss of Independence through Exercise (PLIÉ): qualitative analysis of a clinical trial in older adults with dementia.
  Aging & mental health 2014 Wu E, Barnes DE, Ackerman SL, Lee J, Chesney M, Mehling WE
• Self-reported interoceptive awareness in primary care patients with past or current low back pain.
  Journal of pain research 2013 Mehling WE, Daubenmier J, Price CJ, Acree M, Bartmess E, Stewart AL
• Follow your breath: respiratory interoceptive accuracy in experienced meditators.
  Psychophysiology 2013 Daubenmier J, Sze J, Kerr CE, Kemeny ME, Mehling W
• The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA).
  PloS one 2012 Mehling WE, Price C, Daubenmier JJ, Acree M, Bartmess E, Stewart A
• The prognosis of acute low back pain in primary care in the United States: a 2-year prospective cohort study.
  Spine 2012 Mehling WE, Gopisetty V, Bartmess E, Acree M, Pressman A, Goldberg H, Hecht FM, Carey T, Avins AL
• Massage for children undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation: a qualitative report.
  Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM 2012 Ackerman SL, Lown EA, Dvorak CC, Dunn EA, Abrams DI, Horn BN, Degelman M, Cowan MJ, Mehling WE
• Hematopoietic cell transplant and use of massage for improved symptom management: results from a pilot randomized control trial.
  Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM 2012 Mehling WE, Lown EA, Dvorak CC, Cowan MJ, Horn BN, Dunn EA, Acree M, Abrams DI, Hecht FM
• Acute low back pain and primary care: how to define recovery and chronification?
  Spine 2011 Mehling WE, Gopisetty V, Acree M, Pressman A, Carey T, Goldberg H, Hecht FM, Avins AL
• Body Awareness: a phenomenological inquiry into the common ground of mind-body therapies.
  Philosophy, ethics, and humanities in medicine : PEHM 2011 Mehling WE, Wrubel J, Daubenmier JJ, Price CJ, Kerr CE, Silow T, Gopisetty V, Stewart AL
• Yoga in heart failure patients: a pilot study.
  Journal of cardiac failure 2010 Howie-Esquivel J, Lee J, Collier G, Mehling W, Fleischmann K
• Body awareness: construct and self-report measures.
  PloS one 2009 Mehling WE, Gopisetty V, Daubenmier J, Price CJ, Hecht FM, Stewart A
• Book chapter in Jacobs B, Gundling K (edits): The ACP Evidence-Based Guide to Complementary and Alternative Medicine, American College of Physicians publications
  Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Musculoskeletal Disorders 2009 Mehling WE, Ugalde V, Goldberg H
• Alexithymia and 7.5-year incidence of compensated low back pain in 1207 urban public transit operators.
  Journal of psychosomatic research 2007 Mehling WE, Krause N
• Symptom management with massage and acupuncture in postoperative cancer patients: a randomized controlled trial.
  Journal of pain and symptom management 2007 Mehling WE, Jacobs B, Acree M, Wilson L, Bostrom A, West J, Acquah J, Burns B, Chapman J, Hecht FM
• Valerian for sleep: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
  The American journal of medicine 2006 Bent S, Padula A, Moore D, Patterson M, Mehling W
• Randomized, controlled trial of breath therapy for patients with chronic low-back pain.
  Alternative therapies in health and medicine 2005 Mehling WE, Hamel KA, Acree M, Byl N, Hecht FM
• Bias control in trials of bodywork: a review of methodological issues.
  Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.) 2005 Mehling WE, DiBlasi Z, Hecht F
• Are difficulties perceiving and expressing emotions associated with low-back pain? The relationship between lack of emotional awareness (alexithymia) and 12-month prevalence of low-back pain in 1180 urban public transit operators.
  Journal of psychosomatic research 2005 Mehling WE, Krause N
• Feasibility of conducting a clinical trial on Hatha yoga for chronic low back pain: methodological lessons.
  Alternative therapies in health and medicine 2004 Jacobs BP, Mehling W, Avins AL, Goldberg HA, Acree M, Lasater JH, Cole RJ, Riley DS, Maurer S
• The experience of breath as a therapeutic intervention - psychosomatic forms of breath therapy. A descriptive study about the actual situation of breath therapy in Germany, its relation to medicine, and its application in patients with back pain.
  Forschende Komplementarmedizin und klassische Naturheilkunde = Research in complementary and natural classical medicine 2001 Mehling WE