How our pain experiences relate to our spirituality/religion is a special interest of mine.  Spirituality was an important way of coping for me when I was suffering due to pain, and one of the most important ways I grew as a person because of the difficult time I had.

Today is the conclusion to our series of Monday posts about how Hinduism views pain and suffering, based on an article I wrote.  (Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

“Acceptance is both a central concept in Hindu traditions and one that has been studied in pain medicine.  Hindu traditions promote acceptance of pain and suffering as the just working of karma (karma = the principle that governs the unfolding of events and is based on the integrity with which someone has lived previous lives.)

The practice of acceptance is also a means to a greater end.  By accepting your condition, you become less attached to changing it.  Acceptance of pain, and detachment from any struggle with the experience of pain, means that painful or pain-free states would be accepted equally.  Detachment from this world, in order to be focused on God/The Ultimate, is a primary goal in Hindu traditions.

In medicine, acceptance of chronic pain means living as fully as possible with pain, and not struggling to change pain.  We’ve seen that studies looking at acceptance show that acceptance means better functioning, as well as higher tolerance of pain.

Some of the concepts we’ve talked about may be challenging for those of us who are used to Western medicine.”

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I hope that this series has gotten you thinking about acceptance, any positive things you’ve gotten from having pain (pain is not only negative), and perhaps your own spiritual/religious resources.  So I’m inviting you to comment about the series…

Where are you with acceptance?  What’s helped?  What makes acceptance hard for you?

Is your own religion or spirituality helpful in dealing with pain?  If yes, in what ways?

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Because of my interest in spirituality and pain, I’m writing a series of journal articles on how different religious traditions view pain and suffering.  The first paper in this series looks at Hinduism, and it’s currently in press in the Journal of Pain, 2007.

These ideas were developed on the basis of readings, including the Hindu holy book The Bhagavad-Gita, and on discussions with Hindu scholars and those who practice Hinduism.  My hope is that these posts were interesting to all readers as well as offering ideas to help you with your pain.  I’ve appreciated your thoughts during this series.