Limited understanding of phantom limbs hinders effective treatment of phantom sensations and pain. There are several theories as to the causes of phantom limbs, but only in two main areas of the central and peripheral nervous system. The three main treatments are cognitive behavioral therapy with extinction, pharmaceuticals, and mirror therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy retrains the brain to use extinction to perceive that the limb is gone. Pharmaceuticals are the most common way to treat disease and are easier to demonstrate. Mirror therapy is a newer and increasingly commonly associated treatment for phantom limb pain. Cognitive behavioral therapy shows promise with less risk of side effects thanks to both compelling, evidence-backed treatments. Understanding current theories depends on current approaches to treatment. The two main theories are divided into two groups: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system concludes that phantom limb problems are due to brain plasticity and reprogramming of sensations (Moseley & Flor, 2012). The peripheral nervous system is damaged and misinterprets signals from the ghost site to the brain. Growing support for the central nervous system as the primary cause comes from the fact that congenital missing limbs have no reason to miscommunicate with the brain (Weeks, Anderson-Barnes, & Tsao, 2010). The data is based on a correlation with the ethical dilemma of removing a healthy limb from a human being. Understanding why certain treatments work can provide insight into the underlying cause of phantom limb sensation. Cognitive behavioral therapy is based on the neuroplasticity ability of the brain to retrain the brain and learn phantom limb extinction. Treatment...... middle of paper ......tion with other therapies rather than long-term treatment of pain. Cognitive behavioral therapy appears to have fewer harmful effects, although less evidence supports this treatment. More participants, testing different medications in combination and recognizing which therapies work by categorizing the underlying causes of phantom limb pain could be the key to banishing these phantoms forever. Until then, cognitive behavioral therapy appears to offer the best chance of rehabilitation with the fewest harmful effects. Works Cited Moseley, LG and Flor, H., (2012). Targeting cortical representations in the treatment of chronic pain: a review. Neurorehabilitation and neuronal repair, XX (X), 1–7. doi:10.1177/1545968311433209 Weeks, SR, Anderson-Barnes, VC, & Tsao, JW, (2010). The Neurologist, 16 (5), 277-286.doi:10.1097/NRL.0b013e3181edf128