The importance of words: suggesting comfort rather than pain.

Human beings shape their words; however, human beings are also shaped by their words. Although the nursing profession has paid significant attention to recognition and treatment of pain, this article illustrates how a nurse's preoccupation with pain or even the exaggerated use of the word itself can, paradoxically, evoke or aggravate the phenomenon of pain. Several vignettes, including the author's personal story, provide anecdotal evidence.