Recovery from chronic musculoskeletal pain with psychodynamic consultation and brief intervention: a report of three illustrative cases.

Objective: Most physicians are unaware of the potential for complete remission from chronic musculoskeletal pain through a purely psychological approach. We report three cases in which various types of chronic musculoskeletal pain were successfully treated using a small-group psychological workshop combined with a single consultative session.

Design: Case report.

Setting And Patients: Hospital-based clinic; retrospectively selected cases among patients with at least a 4-year history of chronic musculoskeletal pain prior to intervention.

Measures: Structured interview.

Results: Each of three patients discussed reported pain-free status at last follow-up, which was at least 6 months following the intervention.

Conclusion: Certain individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain may greatly benefit from a primarily psychodynamic approach to treatment, even when standard approaches to pain treatment have failed.