Aversive symptomatology, such as chronic pain, leads to significant morbidity and makes up the bulk of out-patient visits to physicians. Many of these symptoms are perceptual states with no clear etiology and there is a lack of understanding of the brain circuitry supporting such perceptions. A better understanding of this brain circuitry will aid greatly in developing novel therapeutic interventions, which are also lacking. The Napadow laboratory has pioneered the application of non-invasive neuroimaging techniques to better understand the brain circuitry underlying aversive perceptual states, and to better understand existing conventional and non-pharmacological therapies, such as acupuncture, neuromodulation, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness meditation training, which have shown promise in the management of chronic pain.