Finding a Joyful Life in the Heart of Pain
For the past 20 years author Darlene Cohen has had rheumatoid arthritis, a painful and crippling condition. "I became isolated from everyone I knew by my pain and fear and ultimately even by the consuming effort I had to make to do any little thing--like get up from a chair, fix a cup of tea," she writes. How do we live through catastrophic situations such as Cohen's without being destroyed? For starters, don't go numb, suggests Cohen, a Zen teacher who offers pain seminars in medical facilities and meditation centers along the West Coast. "If we don't acknowledge our pain, we usually don't feel our pleasure either," Cohen explains. "Life takes on a zombie-like tenor." In fact, many of our most self-destructive habits come from an avoidance of physical or emotional pain, claims Cohen, such as substance abuse, becoming overly scheduled or overly busy, avoiding intimacy to avoid hurt. Through storytelling, attitude adjustments, meditation exercises, and straight-from-the-heart advice, Cohen guides readers into a more alive and joyful life, even in the midst of pain.--Gail Hudson