Dr Doreen M. Francis has worked in the field of mental health for over thirty years, specializing in the psychotherapeutic treatment of mental illness and addictions. After completing a certificate in Human Services Counselling she achieved a Bachelor of Social Work at Ryerson University, Toronto, as well as an MA and PhD in Contemporary Psychoanalysis at Brunel University, London, and a Diploma in Logotherapy through the Viktor Frankl Institute, UK. Dr Francis has dedicated her career to pursuing a deeper understanding of human behaviour, emotional and psychological pain, its impact, meaning and management
'Although pain is a universal human experience, which has been investigated by the widest range of scholars and researchers for thousands of years, it still remains poorly understood. In this groundbreaking study, Doreen M. Francis combines a psychoanalytic perspective with the revolutionary insights on the neuromatrix of Melzack and Wall, in order to argue that pain is neither a mere sensory, nor a primarily emotional experience, but a relational phenomenon, which can only be properly appreciated if we take account of how a human being as subject relates to his or her pain qua object. Academic as it may be, this book is a pleasure to read, and should be studied by everyone who has a vested interest in gaining a better understanding of pain.'--Dany Nobus, Professor of Psychoanalytic Psychology and Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Brunel University London, and Chair of the Freud Museum, London