[Pain and consciousness. Articles from the summer workshop held by the German Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Pain Therapy (DIVS) in 2005].
Six articles are presented which illustrate the activities at the summer workshop "Pain and awareness" held 27-28 May 2005 in Marienfeld by the German Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Pain Therapy (DIVS). One article on pain constructs in the mind explains the advantages of functional imaging methods: these enable characterization of partial aspects of pain processing in the brain and the mechanisms that lead to chronic states of pain syndromes. A further overview explains the influence of different drugs on pain perception and various conscious states. How back pain patients experience their illness was analyzed in a study using an explanatory model interview: somatic aspects were dominant, but in three-fourths of the patients psychological illness attributions also played a role. A summary from the perspective of religious history and theology explores how pain is interpreted and accepted in various religious communities. Another article addresses hypnosis as a complementary technique to anesthesia procedures in surgical medicine, for treating chronic pain and experimental acute pain. The last contribution deals with how people in different cultures experience pain: ethnocentric bias can lead to difficulties in communication and misjudgments when treating foreign-born patients. All in all the workshop highlighted important formative factors in pain processing in a condensed form and offered stimulating perspectives for this area of pain research and future treatment options.
Laubenthal
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H
Klinik für Anästhesiologie, St.- Josef-Hospital Bochum, Klinikum der Ruhr-Universität, Gudrunstrasse 56, 44791, Bochum. heinz.laubenthal@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Valet
M
M
Sprenger
T
T
Wöller
A
A
Tölle
T R
TR
Röpcke
H
H
Wirz
S
S
Schröter
C
C
Schiltenwolf
M
M
Henningsen
P
P
Sundermeier
T
T
Ebell
H J
HJ
Kohnen
N
N
Häuser
W
W
D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001364:Awareness; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003243:Consciousness / Q000502:physiology*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D059408:Pain Management; D010348:Patient Care Team
D000700:Analgesics