ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores with a story about chronic pain, abuse, and healing. It explains how doctors and patients think and talk about pain and presents the discussion of chronic pain and point out the differences between acute and chronic pain. The book presents the magnitude of pain problems and medical models to give insight into how doctors think about pain and in turn how patients have responded. It elaborates on how confusion with the diagnosis of pain problems often stems from our difficulty in understanding acute versus chronic pain issues. The book also discusses the chronic pain experienced by women and focuses on chronic pain problems where there is no readily identified organic explanation for the pain. It refers to the original story of chronic pain and abuse and concerns women may have as they address their chronic pain problems.
