I just finished The Gift of Pain by Dr. Paul Brand with an assist from Phillip Yancey. This is a fascinating read and if you’re medically oriented or in the health profession you should add this to your reading list. Actually everyone in the Western or Modern world would benefit from reading it because of the immense help it is in helping shape understanding and expectations about dealing with pain.
Here’s the note from the Publisher which will explain it better than I could:
“”Pain is nothing that most of us would count as a blessing. But his fifty-year career working with leprosy patients in India and the U.S. convinced Dr. Paul Brand that pain is one of God’s great gifts to us. As an indicator that tells us something is wrong, pain has a value that becomes clearest in its absence. Those who feel no pain reap terrible consequences. In The Gift Nobody Wants, Philip Yancey and Dr. Brand look at pain–what it is, and why we need it if we’re to live life fully. “This is no dry-as-dust philosophical discussion of pain; rather, it’s a vital, flesh-and-blood account fine reading for anyone.””
The book documents Brand’s own journey from a missionary kid in the mountains of India to his experience learning surgery and refining his practice in London during the Blitz of World War II. His account of his later time in India helping to fight the stigma associated with leprosy and helping outcasts learn to take responsibility for their injuries and join in the healing and prevention process is very fascinating – especially as it relates to providing an understanding of how pain works in the physical body. There’s a lot that I never knew that is actually helpful to know believe it or not.
The final section is perhaps the most applicable because in light of the whole of the book, Brand offers thoughts and perspectives on managing pain – embracing the protective nature of pain and learning to transform it and not run away from it. I think this is something all of us need schooling in, especially in a culture that is structured to avoid pain at all costs. Brand provides a very helpful critique of society and it is an important area to give intentional thought to that we often think we have figured out pretty well. Brand will challenge some of your assumptions about how you look at pain and how you approach it.
