One of the unfortunate aspects of chronic pain is that other people often have little patience for hearing about it or sympathizing with it. Consider your reaction to people in your families or friend circle who experience chronic pain. How often do you respond to their pain? If they don’t ask them, why don’t they? Reflect on the feelings of helplessness generated when hearing someone complain of pain. How might these feelings also be elicited in health care providers who try and fail to provide effective treatments for pain? How might this influence the way that pain patients are treated?