I wonder if we sufficiently understand the psychological dynamics of chronic or extreme pain. The existence of the bullet ant glove ritual makes me wonder to what extent the cultural context of pain influences our remembered perception of its quality, intensity, and meaning.
It seems helpful to distinguish between meaningless, “I would’t wish this on my worst enemy” pain, which probably accounts for the vast majority of extreme pains, “a little pain is necessary to toughen you up” pain, and “this is a sacred extreme-pain ritual.”
What are some resources you’d recommend on understanding the psychological dynamics you mentioned? I’d be especially interested in sources that push against the common (and perhaps very wrongheaded?) idea that people can adjust to almost anything, and that we become somewhat more “numb” even to extreme pain over time.
I’ll give that some thought, but I’m no expert on this. Just pulling together some memories of things I’ve read and experiences I’ve had. But my impression is that chronic extreme pain is something that we never adapt to.
I wonder if we sufficiently understand the psychological dynamics of chronic or extreme pain. The existence of the bullet ant glove ritual makes me wonder to what extent the cultural context of pain influences our remembered perception of its quality, intensity, and meaning.
It seems helpful to distinguish between meaningless, “I would’t wish this on my worst enemy” pain, which probably accounts for the vast majority of extreme pains, “a little pain is necessary to toughen you up” pain, and “this is a sacred extreme-pain ritual.”
What are some resources you’d recommend on understanding the psychological dynamics you mentioned? I’d be especially interested in sources that push against the common (and perhaps very wrongheaded?) idea that people can adjust to almost anything, and that we become somewhat more “numb” even to extreme pain over time.
I’ll give that some thought, but I’m no expert on this. Just pulling together some memories of things I’ve read and experiences I’ve had. But my impression is that chronic extreme pain is something that we never adapt to.