Sometimes I come across people who will insist that pain is an illusion.
Ultimately they are right, but as it happens, I am someone who is sought out to provide relief, if nor cure, for pain. So for me to take a philosophical approach about such an important function of our body, just would not be very practical.
I remember my childhood pains, all the little accidents, burns and bruises. The acute intensity of an injury, that would take the breath away. And I do remember that even as a child I noticed the difference between pain – the sharp, but momentary sensation – and suffering, which only came on when the shock subsided, and fear about the bleeding injuries prevailed. But the worst was yet to come, namely the necessary treatment of the wound, the disinfection and dressing, sometimes accompanied by stitches or injections.
That seems to me a fairly typical development of the intensity and quality of a pain experience. First there is the trauma – followed by a period of being in shock, and then building up fear, which gets worse and worse until it usually is at it’s highest in an emergency room.
The Living Room 