Psychological treatments for persistent pain: an introduction

Abstract

Psychological treatments for persistent pain have been demonstrated to be effective alternatives or adjuncts to more traditional methods for promoting optimal pain management. The primary goal of this issue is to provide the clinician with updated information on the state of the art of a variety of psychological treatments for persistent pain. Specifically emphasized are important issues that add to the complexity of effective pain management and practical recommendations for clinicians to use in enhancing the outcomes of these various treatment approaches. This introductory article provides a brief review of the empirical literature supporting the utility of psychological treatments for persistent pain, describes the content of this issue, and highlights several of the common themes highlighted by our panel of expert contributors.