An example is given in the book of how the water is thought to be warm enough to go. I experience this quite often. I have a swimming lesson and I usually feel the water before I enter. Most of the time I go in and the water is freezing. Now let's think about the psychological reason. I think it was colder because it felt warm? Or it is a pain receptor that reacts to rapid changes in temperature. I think it was a fast fiber because the sensation was felt almost immediately. On other occasions, if the body goes into shock, the pain is not felt as quickly. I recently had a lot of back pain, sometimes I forgot about the pain. I would be too busy to realize I was in pain. When I calmed down and became less stressed, I felt pain. Then I realized that my mind was dealing with pain. The Gate Control theory explains that it is possible to prevent pain from reaching the brain, thus reducing the perception of pain. My back is a great example. My head wasn't focused on the pain, but rather on school work or family. When I was alone I felt pain. What I mean by that is that I didn't have any distractions. I just focused on what I felt. This is what made my pain worse. Distraction can reduce the amount of pain you feel. The book provides examples of this and with my experience, this is very true. If I have a headache I usually listen to classical music and it helps me calm down