The Psychology of Pain Relief

by David Cosio

2025 · Ethics International Press

The world in the 21st century is an analgesic culture - one in which individuals work to avoid pain and distress. When this effort fails, individuals believe it is because pain falls outside of their expectations. The pain lasts too long, does not respond to treatment, or begins to impair their social function. People who suffer from chronic pain often persevere in misdirected attempts to solve the problem of pain, and unwittingly fall deeper into distress and disability. In general, the goals of psychological treatment are to reframe the problem of pain toward one of self-management - improved engagement in valued activities, reduced affective distress, and a reduction in the complaint of pain. This book aims to empower healthcare providers, university teachers, and researchers, to help them understand the normal psychology of pain, and its relationship with mental health disorders, and to guide them through different approaches to the psychological treatment of chronic pain.