I was given this book, The Pain Companion, as a gift. In return, I am writing this review. I am not otherwise being paid and the thoughts on this post our my own.
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What if there was no pain.
For some of us that would be like heaven. But really? Do we want there to truly be no pain? We might want to rethink that. What if you touched something hot but felt no pain. What if you kept pushing yourself to work, run, play without feeling pain? Not exactly a good thing, right?
There were two things that came to mind throughout the book.
- Breathe – through the years of pain which I have experienced, I believe the biggest thing I have learned is to breathe. Really breathe. In essence, I had probably been holding my breath for the first 50 years of my life. Learning to slow down and breathe is one of the top takeaways in my journey with pain. Sarah shows us how to learn to breathe through the pain.
- Pain is a friend – Even when it is severe and non-stop. Pain truly is a friend that you can live with. It is a teacher. Boy, is it a teacher!
Ultimately, whether it completely leaves, or it stays for some time longer, we accept all of our experience with pain as part of a greater path, and we live with more ease, grace, well-being, and inner peace. – Shockley
The Author
Sarah Anne Shockly has been dealing with chronic pain since 2007. She knows as I do the seemingly endless days of pain wondering if you can make it through another day. Also, she knows the months and years of baffled doctors and pain medications that down really don’t work. “Learn to live with i”, they said. “Learn to manage it.” But given few tools to do this. So she took it upon herself to find a way. And that is what brought The Pain Companion to life.
“The Pain Companion is not meant to replace conventional physical remedies, medications and procedures or the many excellent healing modalities available today. I have written this book to offer you the companion I wish I’d had, a guide on your journey to living with more ease and grace even in the midst of pain and, ultimately, to reliving and releasing pain.”
– Sarah Anne Shockley
The Book
The book is divided into four parts
- Pain Moves in
- The Emotional Life of Chronic Pain
- Meditative Approaches to Physical Pain
- When Pain is the Teacher
Each section offers descriptions to which other pain sufferers can relate. Many times I wrote in the margins, “yeah, me too”. In the “emotional” section, She offers snippets of different issues we may have and then offers a suggestion for action, an assignment, you might say. She puts practicality for facing the pain.
Call to Action
Especially if you are just beginning your journey with pain, pick up a copy of this book. Read it slowly and thoughtfully. Try the exercises and this book will indeed be your Pain Companion, a true friend.
Feeling Your Pain,
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Pastor’s Wife (retired) & Chronic Pain Warrior blogs about how to make it through anything by relating her own life experiences to her writing. She is passionate about her love for the Lord and desires to spread that passion to others. She has a great desire to encourage women who are following behind her.
