The Clinical journal of pain
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Physicians and patients alike find it easy to divide pain into mental pain and physical pain. But close examination of this distinction shows that it fails on clinical and philosophical grounds. The body is not a passive conduit for information about tissue damage. ⋯ The dualism of mental and physical pain cannot be overcome if the biological individual is considered in isolation. Mental and physical pain can only be reconciled if their common interpersonal roots are understood. This interpersonal view of pain can help clarify some clinical and moral dilemmas in the care of patients with pain.