| Chronic pain is often a devastating condition that limits or disables a person for six months or longer. The pain can manifest in one area, and then move on to multiple sites in the body, often lasting for years. Chronic pain sufferers usually consult Western medical doctors who treat the pain with scientific knowledge such as sending the patient to physical therapy, giving the patient pain medications, or injecting the painful area with steroids.;The modern Western doctors are caught in the prevailing scientific model of treatment. They are not trained to examine the soul or spirit along with the body, and most doctors shy away from the mention of soulful aspects of chronic pain.;In my research, I found that the participants with chronic pain often suffer layer upon layer of trauma such as childhood wounds, sexual and verbal abuse, grief, loss of jobs, loved ones or both, loss of homes, and isolation from their community and friends. Life loses its meaning for the sufferers, as pain becomes the god of their existences. They suffer fragmentation and soul loss.;The purpose of this study is to explore the archetypal roots of chronic pain through the stories and imaginings of persons who suffer from chronic pain: an exploration designed to listen to the pain history as well as having the patient dialogue with their images of pain, and ultimately hear the wisdom of psyche.;This phenomenological study uses the methods of case history, active imagination, and heuristic examination as a way of inquiry into the archetypal roots of chronic pain. |
