THE BODY AND PAIN: AN APPROACH TO PATIENTS IN MEDICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Abstract

Chronic pain is experienced by subjects according to the singular way of processing the events that involve their body. Attention to transference and countertransference phenomena has allowed a gaze shift from focusing exclusively on the patient and their conditions, towards the interpersonal space that arises in the relationship with them. This concept has generated enriching contributions that favor the care relationship between medical specialties and patients, especially those involving high degrees of complexity or deemed ‘difficult’. This article describes aspects of chronic pain management in an interdisciplinary polyclinic.