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Abstract:
It is helpful to perceive pain and suffering as separate entities when planning therapy. The physical, anatomic, and electrochemical expression of pain is treated by physical therapy, medicines, nerve block, electric stimulators, and surgery. The suffering component involves the patient's (1) nonacceptance, (2) fear of the unknown, (3) pessimistic evaluation of the meaning of pain, (4) feeling of no time limit to suffering, and (5) often self-destructive feelings of guilt and resentment. These emotions and imaginings are quite amenable to good hypnotherapy. When suffering is removed, pain tends to become tolerable or may even disappear.