Stress-related, posttraumatic chronic pain syndrome: behavioral treatment approach.

Chronic pain syndromes are often the result of traumatic injury. The life threatening nature of a substantial number of these traumata precipitates the development of posttraumatic stress disorder in a sizable percentage of accident incurred chronic pain conditions. The present study presents evidence that systematic desensitization, a behavioral technique, can provide significant resolution of posttraumatic stress when this disorder occurs in the chronic pain population.