Review by Guinnessgirl64 -- Happy Healing
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Guinnessgirl64
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- Latest Review: Happy Healing by Dominique Bourlet
Review by Guinnessgirl64 -- Happy Healing
[Following is a volunteer review of "Happy Healing" by Dominique Bourlet.]
3 out of 4 stars
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There are few things more difficult than dealing with chronic pain. (I know: I have a chronic pain condition.) The current opioid crisis in the US bears witness to that. Many people with ongoing pain feel as if modern medicine has let them down, and some will do just about anything to rid themselves of it. When you’ve exhausted all possibilities that Western medicine offers and are still in pain, what can you do?
Dominique Bourlet offers up some answers in her book, Happy Healing: 8 Magic Steps to Relieve Physical Pain and Discomfort. And while these steps aren't actually magical, the methods are worthy of consideration. Bourlet writes from a Buddhist perspective, which is important to understand. Buddhism acknowledges that one of the chief sources of suffering is pain. We want to get away from it, but it is inevitable. Bourlet writes: Lady Pain is like taxes. She reminds us of her presence a little too often, and we accept, more or less willingly, pain is a fact of life. Pain is also a tax on our happiness. Because of pain, we are less happy. Fortunately, tax havens exist.
Bourlet believes that pain is not simply a physical phenomenon, but also an intellectual and spiritual one. Once we acknowledge this, we can tackle pain in a way that addresses all these facets. I admit, some of her suggestions can rub the wrong way: I’m supposed to make friends with my pain? Bourlet says “yes,” encouraging the reader to see pain as a “partner who needs...our full emotional support.” Once we cultivate awareness, empathy and compassion (among other emotions) towards our pain, we are on the path to healing.
Bourlet’s ideas may not simply be foreign; they can seem a little, well, weird. Telling my pain that I love it? Asking it for forgiveness? That might not be how the reader experiences pain. But these techniques really aren’t too different from the mindfulness movement many of us are familiar with. Getting to know our own body intimately, whether we are in pain or not, helps us to raise our awareness of how we react to different stimuli. Once we can do that, we are on the way to controlling our pain.
There is no magic bullet when it comes to pain relief, and Bourlet knows that. She doesn’t ask the reader to reject Western methods, but instead, adopt new ones to supplement what we may already be doing. Bourlet makes it easy to begin this path; the introduction gives the reader some shortcuts that allow one to quickly begin healing. To be clear, Bourlet doesn’t go out of her way to make her method more alignable with Christian or Muslim practices, for instance, but she is clear in making the Buddhist worldview as succinct as possible. And I have to admit, “making friends” with my pain seems silly. I’m not sure I’m ready to give my pain a gender, for instance, but Bourlet’s methods are ones I’m at least willing to try. Her work here is well-written, clear and informative. For these reasons, I give Happy Healing 3 out of 4 stars.
Again, there really isn’t any magic here. Dealing with pain can be hard work, and there is no getting around that fact that accepting pain just isn’t any fun. Yet as we begin, here in the West, to recognize that many of our practices (such as opioids) are truly harming us rather than helping, it’s important to know there are options. Bourlet’s ideas may seem strange to some, but if you’re already living with chronic pain, what do you have to lose? Happy Healing might just be what you’re looking for in your quest to gain control, not just of your pain, but of your life.
******
Happy Healing
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3 out of 4 stars
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There are few things more difficult than dealing with chronic pain. (I know: I have a chronic pain condition.) The current opioid crisis in the US bears witness to that. Many people with ongoing pain feel as if modern medicine has let them down, and some will do just about anything to rid themselves of it. When you’ve exhausted all possibilities that Western medicine offers and are still in pain, what can you do?
Dominique Bourlet offers up some answers in her book, Happy Healing: 8 Magic Steps to Relieve Physical Pain and Discomfort. And while these steps aren't actually magical, the methods are worthy of consideration. Bourlet writes from a Buddhist perspective, which is important to understand. Buddhism acknowledges that one of the chief sources of suffering is pain. We want to get away from it, but it is inevitable. Bourlet writes: Lady Pain is like taxes. She reminds us of her presence a little too often, and we accept, more or less willingly, pain is a fact of life. Pain is also a tax on our happiness. Because of pain, we are less happy. Fortunately, tax havens exist.
Bourlet believes that pain is not simply a physical phenomenon, but also an intellectual and spiritual one. Once we acknowledge this, we can tackle pain in a way that addresses all these facets. I admit, some of her suggestions can rub the wrong way: I’m supposed to make friends with my pain? Bourlet says “yes,” encouraging the reader to see pain as a “partner who needs...our full emotional support.” Once we cultivate awareness, empathy and compassion (among other emotions) towards our pain, we are on the path to healing.
Bourlet’s ideas may not simply be foreign; they can seem a little, well, weird. Telling my pain that I love it? Asking it for forgiveness? That might not be how the reader experiences pain. But these techniques really aren’t too different from the mindfulness movement many of us are familiar with. Getting to know our own body intimately, whether we are in pain or not, helps us to raise our awareness of how we react to different stimuli. Once we can do that, we are on the way to controlling our pain.
There is no magic bullet when it comes to pain relief, and Bourlet knows that. She doesn’t ask the reader to reject Western methods, but instead, adopt new ones to supplement what we may already be doing. Bourlet makes it easy to begin this path; the introduction gives the reader some shortcuts that allow one to quickly begin healing. To be clear, Bourlet doesn’t go out of her way to make her method more alignable with Christian or Muslim practices, for instance, but she is clear in making the Buddhist worldview as succinct as possible. And I have to admit, “making friends” with my pain seems silly. I’m not sure I’m ready to give my pain a gender, for instance, but Bourlet’s methods are ones I’m at least willing to try. Her work here is well-written, clear and informative. For these reasons, I give Happy Healing 3 out of 4 stars.
Again, there really isn’t any magic here. Dealing with pain can be hard work, and there is no getting around that fact that accepting pain just isn’t any fun. Yet as we begin, here in the West, to recognize that many of our practices (such as opioids) are truly harming us rather than helping, it’s important to know there are options. Bourlet’s ideas may seem strange to some, but if you’re already living with chronic pain, what do you have to lose? Happy Healing might just be what you’re looking for in your quest to gain control, not just of your pain, but of your life.
******
Happy Healing
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Guinnessgirl64's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Happy Healing by Dominique Bourlet
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Desitt
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- Latest Review: Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks by Morton E Tavel, MD
FYI, the author is male.
The side effects of medications are real. But what do you do when suffering from diabetes? Take the meds and tolerate the side effects or not take them and deal with the possibility of blindness, amputations etc? What are the viable alternatives? The author provides an option, which I might add costs us nothing. But it would be nice to have his method backed up by research or stats.
The side effects of medications are real. But what do you do when suffering from diabetes? Take the meds and tolerate the side effects or not take them and deal with the possibility of blindness, amputations etc? What are the viable alternatives? The author provides an option, which I might add costs us nothing. But it would be nice to have his method backed up by research or stats.
Latest Review: Health Tips, Myths, and Tricks by Morton E Tavel, MD
