Pain is inevitable
When our little guy was 18 months old I was putting him in his crib, like any normal night after reading “How Does a Dinosaur Say Goodnight,” but on that night I noticed a pop, like a knuckle cracking pop, in my lumbar vertebrae. It was a ‘new’ sensation, not uncomfortable, no pain, almost liberating. The next day while practicing yoga, I had the same ‘pop’ in the lumbar spine except this time there was a sharp pain that took my breath away.
I stopped practicing immediately and did a few ‘test’ movement stretches on the floor for about 5 minutes before bracing myself against a wall to stand up.
As an acupuncturist I specialize in pain rehabilitation, both on a physical level and emotional one. And while acupuncture needles can provide a level of help with the healing journey, it isn’t my primary method of healing. Because not everyone is a fan of needles, and not everyone I treat lives in Los Angeles, and sometimes needles are not the answer.
Step one in the healing journey is understanding how pain works.
In the most simplified explanation, pain is the body telling the brain something needs attention. But how do we address pain? Is this pain response trustworthy, has the volume of my pain been turned up to 11? How do I know what to do?
Hedonistic Response to Suffering:
The hedonistic response to suffering is basically, seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. However, studies have shown that excessive avoidance of pain can lead to a lack of fulfillment and even addiction (Huta & Ryan, 2010).
I’m a fan of taking Advil for acute muscle pain to reduce inflammation, It’s what I did after that crippling yoga practice, but it’s important to find the root cause, and not get lost in an opioid playground.
Cynicism Response to Suffering:
The cynics response to suffering involves withdrawing from society. And in the first few days of dealing with this back pain muscle spasm that’s what I did. Interestingly there are many connections between narcotic pain meds and isolation.
Isolation and a lack of connection with others, worsens suffering (Diener & Seligman, 2004) so it is important to ask for help.
Stoicism Response to Suffering:
The Stoicism response to suffering involves accepting one's fate and finding inner peace despite external circumstances. This approach is based on the belief that suffering is an inevitable part of life and that one can only control one's reactions to it. Practicing Stoicism can lead to increased resilience and well-being (Robertson & Currey, 2018). However, it is important to remember that accepting one's fate does not mean giving up on making positive changes. It doesn’t mean that we stop practicing, that we stop getting stronger and making a dynamic recovery.
Buddhism Response to Suffering:
The Buddhist response to suffering involves recognizing the impermanence and interconnectedness of all things and practicing awareness and compassion to achieve liberation from our attachments.(Davidson & Harrington, 2002). Mindfulness and compassion practices can lead to decreased stress and increased well-being (Shapiro et al., 2016) and this is where the healing journey takes a turning point, this is where we can start making small gains by recognizing what we CAN do, and start DOING them.
Nietzsche Response to Suffering:
The Nietzschean response to suffering involves embracing suffering as a necessary part of personal growth and self-overcoming. Nietzsche believed that suffering can be transformed into strength and that the will to power is the ultimate goal of life.
While this approach sold a bunch of ‘No Fear’ t-shirts in the 90’s and is practiced by some ‘teachers’ and Guru’s to guide their students towards ‘self-mastery,’ it can also lead to a lack of empathy and a disregard for others' suffering (Leiter, 2018).
Let me just say we need to practice compassion and recognize that everyone is in some semblance of suffering. Each of us embodies at some point one or two, or all of these responses to suffering. It’s my belief that finding a balance, combining the best of different traditions; Eastern, Western, nursing, yoga, and acupuncture, I help my patients navigate their healing journey.
References:
Davidson, R. J., & Harrington, A. (2002). Visions of Compassion: Western Scientists and Tibetan Buddhists Examine Human Nature. Oxford University Press.
Diener, E., & Seligman, M. E. (2004). Beyond money: Toward an economy of well-being. Psychological science in the public interest, 5(1), 1-31.
Huta, V., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). Pursuing pleasure or virtue: The differential and overlapping well-being benefits of hedonic and eudaimonic motives. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11(6), 735-762.
Leiter, B. (2018). The Truth Is Terrible. The Journal of Nietzsche Studies, 49 (2): 151–173.