This book talks down to the reader at all times, making it clear that the overeducated author assumes that you, dear reader, are too dumb to understand all but the most generic material.

Her language is downright painful to read--unless you are the kind of person who enjoys seeing words like "cognitive" used in every second paragraph.

But let's go beyond style to content. The author is not up-to-date in her coverage of pain therapy for several chronic diseases covered in this book, most notably Interstitial Cystitis. Despite her own claims to the contrary, her approach tends to be, "If you doctor can't find the cause of your pain, it probably is in your mind." Coupled with her poor coverage of medical treatments for pain syndromes, a sufferer from a disease like Interstitial cystitis, who reads this book might well end up taking Prozac when what she really needs is acupuncture or Elmiron.

There is lots of lip service to meditational techniques, but the author's coverage of these topics is heavy in acronyms and low in understanding. It's clear she has read a few books on the subject and feels comfortable reducing each one to a paragraph. This is one area where the "Cliff's Notes" approach will simply not work. Save your money and buy a better book!