Posted by David Mc (195.40.202.241) on September 18, 1999 at 07:54:06:
Okay, I'm going to try this one more time, and anyone who gets a touch panicky at the mention of reading books should get writing their scathing replies now. But please don't weaken your arguments by making personal attacks as to how bad or otherwise my cluster headaches are. I'd hate to go into the area of pain thresholds, tolerance levels and what could be seen as head-banging elitism. Oh, heck I think I will; all my life, since I first found the power of books as a small boy, I've found escape from pain of all sorts in reading. In those pages no one can hurt you or get at you, whether its an abusive father or the pain of illness. I have a deep aversion to violence, the very thought of me or anyone banging my head makes me feel very sick. When the cluster pain comes I have always retreated into an inner place where I can distance myself from the reality of the pain. No, I don't mean I delude myself and ignore reality, I just cushion myself from it's harsher aspects when I feel I need to, for self-preservation.
Right, I was re-reading Hemingway's 'Islands In The Stream', the other day, and as I read chapter seven, the bit where the shark nearly kills the boy, I found I enjoyed most the exchanges of conversation in the boat afterwards; how the tensions and fear and the emotions were dissipated and handled by the group of males. And I though how we often symbolise the CH as us being attacked by a monster of some description and the images of fear and panic it produces in us. And I thought how important it could be to dissipate these strong emotions after the attack.
Any way, I've written far too much already, but does anyone else find reading a viable distraction therapy? And maybe I should add, a distraction at some pain levels. Up to kip eight I can read, after that I just pace and plod and curse. I note that Drummer was introduced to great literature by his daughter, excellent! (Please note that for me 'great literature' is anything that you personally enjoy reading and find of some value)
Solong
David Mc
PS. Imagination wins every time over knowledge. Knowledge constricts, imagination expands; or words to that effect were spoken by Albert Einstein.