A Life Larger Than Pain [Paperback]

Erv Hinds (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 25, 2003

Inspired by the experiences of his patients, as well as by his own encounter with a life-threatening heart disorder, Dr. Hinds explores the interrelation of mind, body and spirit and the crucial role of spirituality in breaking the cycle of pain and integrating it within a larger life. Using numerous case reports, Dr. Hinds offers hope to those suffering by demonstrating that chronic pain does not dictate a life of constant resignation. While the book explores the mechanism of the pain response in the body, it also defines different kinds of pain, and includes a groundbreaking chapter on the much-neglected area of emotional pain. An interactive section--containing self-test exercises and questions for reflection as well as suggestions for pain relief--follows each chapter.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A book that relates spirituality and medical procedures with integrity. -- James G. Emerson, Jr PhD, Past Interim President, San Francisco Theological Seminary

Dr. Hinds' audience is everyone, those hurting, those who remember hurting and those who worry about hurting in the future. -- Rev. Sylvia M. Casberg, D.Min

No other source provides this valuable perspective...one not understood by most physicians treating pain. -- Kevin Pauza, MD, Chairman of Education and Standards, American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

About the Author

Erv Hinds MD is board certified through the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the American Academy of Pain Medicine in the specialties of anesthesiology and pain management. He is also a member of the International Spinal Injection Society.

Currently residing in New Mexico, Dr. Hinds is the founder of the St. Vincent Pain Management Center in Santa Fe, and the founder and director of the New Mexico Pain and Spine Center at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Health Press (NM) (April 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0929173430
• ISBN-13: 978-0929173436
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #934,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soothing, helpful book, December 9, 2003

By 

Constance Bryceland "CB" (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Life Larger Than Pain (Paperback)

This doctor shows his compassion for those in chronic pain and offers comfort, even if not always of the physical variety. Anyone who suffers from pain on an on-going basis will appreciate this book, if only for the manner in which Dr. Hinds shows his understanding of the completeness of the turmoil it causes.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Pain shrinks time to the present moment... ", November 9, 2005

By 

Luan Gaines "luansos" (Dana Point, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Life Larger Than Pain (Paperback)

Balance. Harmony. Synchronicity. These words do not belong exclusively to the healthy, but can be a significant part of daily life, even for those in chronic pain. A Life Larger than Pain is thoughtfully presented, an acknowledgment of the complexities of chronic pain and the conundrum of a patient caught in a cycle of physical pain. Addressing the frustration and limitations of modern pain management, Hinds uses experiences with his own patients as examples of the transformative nature of healing through a combination of Eastern and Western disciplines, combining the principles of both.

Anatomical pain and clinical depression have common symptoms, declining activity level, loss of hope and low energy level. The downward cycle includes: depression, deactivation, dependency, doctor-seeking, drug-seeking, deteriorating relationships and dormant spirituality. The challenge is to get the patient to recognize these factors and work to relieve their negative effect on daily life. The first hurdle is self-terminology, the patient's perception of self. Dr. Carolyn Myss speaks of "woundology", a self-perpetuating, obsessive focus on a personal problem. There is a difference between processing such issues and victimhood and the chronic pain patient must move from preoccupation and attachment to empathy for others, integrating illness with a more functional world, where the illness is accepted but not the source of identity or a bid for sympathy.

Chapter by chapter, the author addresses bridge of body to mind, the actual neural transmission of pain that triggers certain emotional responses in the patient often stimulating a rebound phenomenon that is exacerbated by despair and fatigue. There has been a shift in the two-dimensional understanding of this process, creating a third possibility: "If you can change how the mind perceives it, then you can change how the body experiences it." This concept is critical in modern pain management, freeing the patient from the predictable continuum. Treating the whole person rather than treating the obvious symptoms, incorporating spirituality and acknowledging rather than trivializing the intangible in a true meeting of Eastern and Western philosophies. The reader is instructed to embrace the paradox of pain, releasing expectations to allow relief, acceptance and a willingness to adapt the appropriate actions in each case: "In some cases the spiritual growth may be what strengthens physical healing because spirit and body are in better balance".

Although meditation and spirituality are commonplace in the current culture, for the chronic pain sufferer such concepts are often obscure, all but obliterated by the need to alleviate pain. Hinds has written this book for those who are disappointed by traditional methods, suggesting a future defined more by the evolution of the process than an instant cure, tapping into the profound mind-body connection for hidden reserves, the patient pro-active in his own successful treatment. Luan Gaines/ 2005.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars more than pain, July 31, 2003

By 

"rp5" (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Life Larger Than Pain (Paperback)

This is not just a book for people with chronic pain. It is also a handbook for those of us who are struggling.

This is a book I will look to, and read again and again, when facing difficult events in the future.