The Painful Truth: The new science of why we hurt and how we can heal

(Paperback)

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Description

A medical and philosophical journey through the experience of pain, used as a prism to marvel at biology and psychology and what it means to be human. What is phantom limb pain Can words actually hurt Why do we experience pain, even after we've healed We're currently experiencing a Renaissance in pain science. In recent years our understanding of pain has altered so radically it's fair to say that everything we thought we knew about pain is wrong. As Dr Monty Lyman reveals, we misunderstand pain - with harmful consequences. Exploring cutting-edge research that encompasses everything from phantom aches to persistent pain, as well as interviews with survivors of torture and those who have never felt pain, Dr Lyman not only provides hope for reducing and managing pain but takes us to a deeper understanding of what it means to be human. This is the untold story of pain - our most elusive feeling.

Reviews

A remarkable book that explores the boundaries and the meaning of pain - and how conventional understanding and treatment are failing us. * Sunday Times *
An accessible and well-written book... [Dr Lyman] takes us into the world of pain: its weirdness, its growing pervasiveness and how it's been misunderstood for centuries. * Mail on Sunday *

Author Bio

Dr Monty Lyman is a doctor and research fellow at the University of Oxford. His first book, The Remarkable Life of the Skin, was shortlisted for the 2019 Royal Society Science Book Prize, was a Radio 4 Book of the Week and a Sunday Times Book of the Year. He has given many talks at national conferences and has won several essay prizes, including the 2020 Royal Society of Medicine pain essay prize. He lives in Oxford, England.