Customer Reviews

Living Well with Pain and Illness: The Mindful Way to Free Yourself from Suffering

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The reader of this book should understand that the author is afflicted with painful chronic illness - and she does seek out and accepts treatment from the mainstream medical community. This has been necessary. But this book is not about mainstream medicine. It is about what mainstream medicine (except for some psychiatrists and Psychologists) have no comment nor any interest in offering as therapy. "Where is the money?"

The author, by using Mindfulness techniques, has achieved more than temporary pain release, but also a state of character formed emotional release that allows her to continue the fullest enjoyment of life - probably better than most so called healthy people. The purpose of her book is to help others triumph over painful illness just as she has.

The 230 page book is clearly and simply written. Their are even some simple drawings to illustrate the postures described in the text. The reader can go as far into the book as they wish, and then stop when they feel they have devoted enough time to their problems. But I think most readers who get past the first few chapters will become convinced of the efficacy of Mindfulness and fascinated enough to not only complete the book, but also will want to pursue more knowledge of the subject. I have. In fact, I have acquired several books and CD's on Mindfulness. As I progress by reading and practice meditating, I continue to benefit - even in unexpected ways. For example, people I don't even know stop to talk with me these days. (Hmmmm. What does that say about the old me?)

As I see it, the study of Mindfulness is to develop a realistic, close, and loving bond between your mind, your body, and the whole wide world of creatures and things. It can help the depressed to stop over-thinking for example - that is to say repeating in one's mind past bothersome events that no longer exist and so cannot be changed. It helps to break away from many harmful and/or nonproductive thinking. Sounds kind of corny but it works to reveal the human experience refreshed, as through the eyes of a toddler. Whatever one may see every day can become transformed into beautiful and miraculous treasures. I am not talking about hallucinations. I am not talking about being in a trance. I am talking about being fully awake; fully alive; and fully in the sane and real world - in all of its fullness. (Hopefully a sane and real world does exist.)

If you are presently experiencing physical pain and/or physical illness, "Living Well with Pain & Illness" would be a good book to start with. And a CD set "Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief," by Jon Kabat-Zinn, would not be a waste of money. If you are experiencing psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, fear or panic, you might start with the book, "Calming Your Anxious Mind," by Jeffrey Brantley MD and Jon Kabat-Zinn PH.D. A good start for many people might be the CD set - also by Jon Kabat-Zinn, "Mindfulness Meditation - Cultivating the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind."

The book was helpful to me. As someone who suffers frequently from migraines and chronic fatigue, the Breathworks approach to meditation, and how to apply it to health concerns such as migraines, arthritis, and chronic fatigue. Step-by-step techniques, illustrations, and case studies demonstrating how to effectively bring mindfulness into daily life. When you have pain, anything is worth a try. Although I take medications daily, these techniques are helpful when the pain just won't go away.

I am a young woman who has been living with cancer and ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for many years. There is no book out there that I believe in more than this one. For me, Vidyamala Burch's mindfulness-based approach, has healed years of feeling trapped, isolated and at times without hope so that now I can happily get on with making the most of life at last. It's based on the kind of wisdom that can only emerge from the heart of an author's deep personal experience. It's not easy to find something that inspires you to change your life but this book really does. And there is a whole wealth of clearly explained practical techniques, methodologies and tips to support you through the process. Through building awareness the reader can learn to work with unhelpful patterns in thoughts, habits and emotions. The book also explains meditation techniques so well. Meditation and being with the breath ,body and heart can be an invaluable source of inner strength, relaxation and emotional positivity. And finally somebody de-mystifies "pacing"! The approach is not specific to a particular condition so it can definitely be applied to pain, physical or mental illness, fatigue, stress, addiction or just to anybody wishing to get the most out of life. Alternatively, if you're just interested in meditation, it's the best manual out there too. Ultimately, this is a very uplifting book!!

Sometimes pain cannot be avoided but chronic pain is with you 24/7.

Vidyamala helps us go through the cycles of pain. By acknowledging your pain, you are preparing yourself for healing. Not so much total physical healing but inner healing.

Inner healing helps you to understand your suffering and may lower the threshold of pain.

One realizes that many are afflicted with chronic pain and the way to hope and healing is acceptance.

This is a process and may take months, years.

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross in her book Death: The Final Stage of Growth helps us to go through this process. The 5 stages of healing are
denial, anger, bargaining, depression which leads you to acceptance.

Living Well With Pain & Illness: The Mindful Way to Free Yourself From Suffering by Vidyamala Burch is a wonderful book that invites the reader to use meditation, breathing, and mindfulness to move beyond the consciousness of pain into something more.

The title is unfortunate; too many potential readers will dismiss this book because they are not experience either physical pain and/or illness. However, the suffering Burch invites the reader to explore is not purely physical and I wish that the publishers had found a more encompassing title for this book.

Drawing on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn, the author draws on her own harrowing experience living with pain to share how the practices she has developed for herself and in working with others can and will help the reader. It is easy enough for a supermodel to publish a book saying how to look great at any age and when a doctor says that certain exercises will help it's interesting but not necessarily inspiring. Because Burch herself has had two spinal injuries, with all the pain and suffering that this implies, it is easy to embrace her advice, to believe that what worked for her will work if only the reader will open themselves to the possibility.

This book does not offer healing. Rather, the author is recommending a way of being, a manner of living from day-to-day, that is both disciplined and freeing. It is hard to imagine that she could only write in 20 minute sprints before her body demanded movement or rest. Yet, the book is evidence that a compromised life does not mean living a compromised existence. And how superficial and inappropriate to suggest that her life is compromised! What she cannot do is nothing when weighed against what she has accomplished.

I do not live with pain but I do have a condition that is incurable. I have used many of the suggestions Burch makes in my own life, long before I read this book. Kabat-Zinn's work is familiar to many but, for those who may have found his work too dense or who were unable to identify with how he shares his experience and work, Burch offers a slightly different but oh-so familiar perspective. This advice works, not because it heals but because where there is no promise of curing there is still the necessity of self-caring.

I have lamented in the past whenever I've read a book that includes written meditations where there are no audio recordings made available for the reader. I am very happy to say that there is an audio collection available. Get the book or the audio recording or both, whether you are living with physical, emotional, or spiritual pain. It will prove to be an investment that will never be regretted.

I found this book just marginally helpful -- I also suffer from chronic pain and will read just about anything on the subject.

I thought the author did a good job of explaining the origins and causes of pain itself, and she has some good insights - but I was irked by a couple of things.

First of all, the book only mentions once, in a very small 2 or 3-sentence section, that the author takes pain medication on a regular daily schedule (as do I). To me, this information is buried. I began reading the book with the impression that mindfulness was her sole solution to her terrible pain...I thought it would have been more helpful if she mentioned from the beginning of the book that medication is a valuable and necessary tool to be used along with an approach like this to severe pain.

Secondly, I (and maybe this is just me) thought there was just waaaay too much information about her own condition. I know she needs to be relatable and explain her journey with chronic pain as a basis for how she came upon this approach...but I still got tired of reading more and more about her own horrific injuries and pain. Not that I don't feel empathy for her, but after a while, I felt like it was, "You think YOU'RE in pain? Well listen to what happened to ME!" ;-)

The other thing that bothered me is this: don't mention and then try to sell your relaxation CDs in your book. I think that is just ridiculous. Either include the CD WITH the book, or don't mention it. To me that borders on greedy or even cruel. People buying this book are, I assume, in a lot of pain and are looking for help...NOW. Don't get them to buy the book, and then suggest a second purchase of a CD if they REALLY want to get serious about using this approach and helping themselves.

This is a great book. It is practical and heartfelt and offers a whole range of ways to help people come into a better relationship with chronic pain. I have chronic pain and was not sure about reading another book, however this is written from the author's personal experience and many years of meditation. I found it very easy to read and I liked the range of different techniques based on the idea of mindfulness, staying in the moment rather than worrying about the past or the future. Building on the work of Jon Kabat-Zinn this book offers an approach which can help to change your life around from one of fighting pain to one of living well with pain.

This is a wonderful introduction to mindfulness meditation for chronic pain sufferers, written by someone with intense long-term pain herself. Discussions about the workings and causes of pain, the difference between primary and secondary suffering, and the process of mindful meditation and how it can help, are followed by three lovely meditations which are also available on CD. Each in its different way helps the sufferer to focus on the here and now and cultivate a more kindly, accepting attitude to their experiences, whether good or bad. It isn't a 'cure' for pain, more a way of managing it through gradually changing one's perception of it and becoming more aware and accepting of the present moment. And there's a reassuring gentleness in Vidyamala's approach; it doesn't matter so much if your mind keeps drifting away and you don't have a 'good' meditation; the process is what matters most, and each time you notice you've been distracted is in fact a moment of awareness. As a pain and anxiety sufferer, I find the book just as helpful for the latter condition; anxiety, after all, is a form of emotional pain. This is a beautiful gift to the millions suffering every day of their lives, born from the author's long process of self-discovery and gradual acquaintance with the beauties of mindfulness. An accompanying CD is also available.

This book is very practical guide that will help you reassess your pain and illness so that you can see more clearly how to help yourself improve your daily life.
By managing your condition / conditions in a more effective way you begin to remove the problems and pitfalls that irritate and compound your illness.
Vidyamala has developed the techniques in this book from personal experience.
I have five chronic conditions, with the help of this book and other aids I manage much better now and I am able to smile and enjoy life more.

Although my pain is depression Vidyamala's book has dramatically transformed my quality of life. The techniques suggested and the compassionate approach enable you to make the necessary changes, easing and lifting pain; increasing energy levels and most importantly helping lift you out of a feeling of helplessness.
I cannot praise the book enough.... my gratitude is boundless.