Tell Me Where It Hurts: The New Science of Pain and How to Heal

Psychologist Zoffness (The Pain Management Workbook) delivers an eye-opening study that reframes how patients and practitioners should understand chronic pain. Rather than seeing it as the result of damage to a single body part, Zoffness views pain holistically as an experience influenced by emotions, expectations, and one’s environment. She illustrates how the mind plays a vital role in pain: depression can keep a patient from recovering, for example, while joyful distraction can aid healing. Neuroplasticity—the mind’s ability to reroute patterns—can create chronic pain as an overreaction to a perceived threat, but also offers hope (“if the brain can change, pain can change”). In one example, a woman began feeling leg pain after a running injury. Over time, her legs developed lesions, and she could no longer work or care for her child. After discovering the flare-up was influenced by stress, depression, and other emotional factors, she began to recover through a combination of physical therapy, outings with friends, and the resumption of her hobbies. Zoffness ends by providing a protocol for healing: identify what hurts and what exacerbates symptoms, then explore physical, emotional, cognitive, and social interventions (everything from daily walking and deep breathing to the companionship of a pet). Offering inspiring case studies and comprehensive solutions, this is a game changer for those seeking pain relief. (Mar.)