The use of brief focal psychotherapy in the treatment of chronic pain

Material is presented from brief focal psychotherapy used in the treatment of four patients with chronic pain refractory to multiple forms of treatment. The value from therapy for each patient is described in terms of actual pain relief, in improvement in understanding the interpretation of past trauma into present bodily symptoms, and in subsequent ability to cope with the pain. Three reported treatment to have improved their pain; one reported an improvement in her ability to cope with it and consequent improvement in lifestyle. The place of pathological mourning in the aetiology of such pain is considered, together with a discussion on the constant finding of denial or displacement of intense anger towards important past figures and its manifestation in the transference. A discussion of the place of brief focal psychotherapy as a time- and cost-effective intervention in the treatment of chronic pain is presented.