A medical and philosophical journey through the experience of pain, used as a prism to marvel at biology and psychology and what it means to be human.

What is phantom limb pain? Can words actually hurt? Why do we experience pain, even after we've healed?

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, Dr Lyman not only provides hope for reducing and managing pain but takes us to a deeper understanding of what it means to be human.

This is the untold story of pain - our most elusive feeling.