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that fit their narrative. Attempting to overlay any narrative of our own on a patient encounter automatically continues the inequalities we wish to avoid. LOST IN TRANSLATION Narrative ethics evolved to provide a third way out of these problems, and narrative medicine developed as a protocol to handle a patient's narrative in a controlled, ethical, and medically sound manner. Neither is widely understood because the words are too long, the ideas too difficult, the training less fun than a weekend spent on another modality. Above, I talk about why things go wrong, and language is where things go wrong: how we talk to each other, and the value judgments we make as we choose our words. What we often forget is the impact of those words. Conversations about health care take place on four main levels (see page 50). The level at which the conversation occurs will often determine its outcome. Language really does matter (look back at our patient story if you're unsure why). The narrative medicine approach to this research article would begin from the position in the last column, but instead of suggesting (practically imposing) pain neuroscience education (PNE) as a decision of the clinician, it would start from the position of the patient by asking questions. For example, "What would you like to know about your pain and how your body produces this feeling?" And "What would you like to say to your pain?" By working through the answers, the patient will already have started to "know about their pain" from the inside, developing interoceptive awareness they can articulate, and the clinician can introduce information as needed, tailored to the patient's concerns as they arise. This respects all aspects of the bioethical principles, and represents truly individualized, ethical care, which starts in every communication and not just in the clinic. Notes 1. See Sasha Chaitow's "Listen, My Body Electric: Narrative Medicine and the Holistic Revolution in Biomedicine Part 1," Massage & Bodywork, March/April 2021, pp. 42–49 for a deeper discussion of medical ethics, their development, and their relationship to narrative medicine. 2. Adam Meakins, "Manual Therapy Sucks!" www.thesports.physio/ manual-therapy-sucks. 3. Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress, Principles of Biomedical Ethics (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1979); "National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, The Belmont Report," No. 78-0012 (Washington D.C.: US Printing Office, 1978). 4. Rita Charon et al., The Principles and Practice of Narrative Medicine (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016): 129. 5. The Medic Portal, "Medical Ethics: Justice," www.themedicportal. com/application-guide/medical-school-interview/medical-ethics/ justice. 6. M. Richter et al., "Effect of Additional Pain Neuroscience Education in Interdisciplinary Multimodal Pain Therapy on Current Pain. A Non-Randomized, Controlled Intervention Study," Journal of Pain Research 13 (2020): 2,947–2,957. With 20 years in teaching and more than a decade in journalism and academic publishing, Sasha Chaitow, PhD, is series editor for Elsevier's Leon Chaitow Library of Bodywork and Movement Therapies and former managing editor of the Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies. Based between the UK and Greece, she teaches research literacy and science reporting at the University of Patras, Greece. She is also a professional artist, gallerist, and educator who exhibits and teaches internationally. L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 51 For seminars, courses, and more resources on narrative medicine, see "Listen, My Body Electric: Narrative Medicine and the Holistic Revolution in Biomedicine Part 1," Massage & Bodywork, March/April 2021, page 47. SOMATIC RESE ARCH