The website Life After Pain recently interviewed three of the members of the Modern Stoicism project – William Irvine, Donald Robertson, and Greg Sadler – on what resources and insights Stoic philosophy and practices offer in dealing with chronic pain.
You can find each of the interviews, carried out by Naomi Kuttner – in transcript and mp3 podcast form – by following these links:
Learn How to Deal with Negative Emotions – Professor William B Irvine
Coping With Pain Using the Stoic Philosophy – Donald Robertson
Using Stoic Principles in Everyday Life – Gregory Sadler
The Life Without Pain website was created by Dr. Jonathan Kuttner, after his recovery from a hang-gliding accident spurred a very interest on his part in treatment of chronic muscle and joint pain. Understanding pain – and all that goes with it – is key to his approach.
Stoic philosophy and practices provide a number of resources, exercises, and an over-all approach that can be helpful for people suffering from chronic pain. Give a listen to these three interviews, and you’ll hear more than two-and-a-half hours of Irvine, Robertson, and Sadler unpacking insights from Stoicism and applying them to dealing with pain (and a number of other connected issues – beliefs, emotions, relationships, decisions, and lifestyles).