Summary of Entries on Pain

[lhynard]

I begin with this one chiefly as a reminder to post more on pain from a neurological point of view with the inclusion of some interesting studies found in Ramachandran's Phantoms in the Brain. I've only posted 2 entries regarding pain, though I find it a fascinating concept. Of course to say that, one has to treat pain as if it were always this

Comments

[jeltzz]

I wonder why it is that women were designed -- if you choose to believe in a Creator -- to feel more pain than men

It could be, I would argue, that this difference is the result of men and women being designed to be different in some other respect with a different purpose, so that the pain differential is incidental to a second difference. This would make particular sense if pain were not a feature of pre-Fall existence (though that is quite another debate)

[lhynard]

makes sence to me, though I don't know what that different purpose would be

[dogs_n_rodents]

I don't have much time, but I'd like to briefly put $0.02 into the pot for a couple of your questions.

Is pain purely emotional? And what are emotions?My answer to this would be a resounding no. While your study above clearly indicated that women have a harder time separating the physical and the emotional aspects of pain, I'm not entirely sure what sort of "pain" they are subjected to there. For myself, if I bash my knee into my desk or some other object, I, temporarily feel both physical and emotional pain. Physical pain stemming from the physical stimuli which my knee transmits to my brain saying, "HEY, QUIT DOING THAT!" and the emotional pain from my brain realizing that I'm uncoordinated enough to do something so stupid. However, later on, let's say that I have to kneel in Church during Mass. Then, I do feel a sensation of pain that is a physical aspect of the bashing of my knee at an earlier point in time, however, I generally do not have any emotional pain to accompany this reminder of the physical ailment which causes me

[lhynard]

Thanks for your thoughts.

Yes, I agree that there are different types of pain -- pure physical and emotional. (I also think that there are different types of emotion.)

Actually, there is a neurological disorder where one has no emotional response to pain. This has led to some fascinating discoveries on the topic.

[shadewright]

I haven't read the book for which I'm about to quote a blurb, but I heard the guy speak at College, and I think he makes a pretty convincing case. Namely (in my words) that pain is actually a measure of God's grace to us in this fallen world--a gift that reminds us...well, of a lot of practical things, but also of the fact that we were meant to transcend this fallen world someday.

[lhynard]

Yes, I recall his talk; it was quite good.