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 sufferers gain greater understanding of their illness-for only in understanding can it be conquered.