title: [Pain and consciousness. Articles from the summer workshop held by the German Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Pain Therapy (DIVS) in 2005].
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Anästhesiologie, St.- Josef-Hospital Bochum, Klinikum der Ruhr-Universität, Gudrunstrasse 56, 44791, Bochum. heinz.laubenthal@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Laubenthal
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valet
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sprenger
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wöller
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Tölle
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Röpcke
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wirz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schröter
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schiltenwolf
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Henningsen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sundermeier
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ebell
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kohnen
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Häuser
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics