What is phantom limb pain? Can words actually hurt? Why do we experience pain, even after we've healed? We know pain when we feel it. We fear it and try to avoid it. But do we know what it really is? We're currently experiencing a Renaissance in pain science.

In recent years our understanding of pain has altered so radically it's fair to say that everything we thought we knew about pain is wrong. As Dr Monty Lyman reveals, we misunderstand pain - with harmful consequences. Exploring cutting-edge research that encompasses everything from phantom aches to persistent pain, as well as interviews with survivors of torture and those who have never felt pain.

'Accessible and well-written... Dr Lyman takes us into the world of pain' Mail on Sunday