Understanding Chronic Pain is a personal narrative, a record of Dr. Cochran's passage among victims of chronic pain and the discoveries that came from those encounters. Dr. Cochran speaks to physicians, nurses, therapists, and caregivers, but mostly, he speaks to and writes for those who suffer from the disease of chronic pain. This book offers a series of essays about people who suffer chronic pain. From their case histories, the author derives certain conclusions. Not all of them apply to all patients, but some certainly will. His wish, he says, is that the book will help chronic pain...

This is a personal narrative, a record of my passage among victims of chronic pain and the discoveries that have come from those encounters. I write for physicians, nurses, therapists, and caregivers, but mostly, I write for you who suffer the disease. I know you very well, perhaps as well as anybody in the world. I have listened to your stories with patience and attention, and I have been greatly rewarded. You have trusted me with the deep recesses of your thoughts and fears, and the memories of the dreadful experiences that are so often the origin of chronic pain. I have treated thousands...

In 2004, Dr. Robert T. Cochran published Understanding Chronic Pain, a ground-breaking work exploring the links between pain, depression, childhood trauma, substance abuse, and bipolar disease. A companion to that work, Curing Chronic Pain demonstrates the advancements Cochran has made in successfully treating patients suffering from pain. He has found that chronic pain, a single core illness, can be alleviated with the careful application of certain drugs, even those in the controversial opiate class. In many cases, Cochran says, miraculous cures have been achieved. Presented in a...