The aim of this study was to explore primary healthcare patients' experiences of patient participation prior to multimodal pain rehabilitation. Data was collected from interviews with 17 patients, aged 23-59 years, after completing multimodal rehabilitation. Data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. The theme, In search of recognition, depicted patient participation prior to the multimodal pain rehabilitation as a lack of recognition in the healthcare system. A demand for medical help and the healthcare professionals' preferential right to interpret the patients' condition formed the category Need for medical affirmation. In the category Emotional and cognitive alienation, patients emphasized distress when being unconfirmed. This entailed an emotional and cognitive distance between the patients and the healthcare professionals. Situational factors, together with patients' emotional and cognitive prerequisites and patients' strategies to be included in dialogue represented the category Need to communicate, which influenced the opportunities to participate. For healthcare professionals, it is important to understand that patients in multimodal pain rehabilitation may have experiences of a clinician-centred behaviour in the past. Patients may have been unconfirmed and their point of view disregarded. For the future, greater effort for dialogue and patients' involvement in decision-making and rehabilitation planning is needed. © 2014 Informa Healthcare.