Pain is not the Enemy

“Pain is not the enemy,” emphatically stated in the book, Finding Purpose Beyond our Pain by Paul Meier, MD and David L. Henderson, MD. This book fully identifies with the axiom; “everyone can get something from this book.” The problem lies in the fact that while everyone can get something out of the book, there is no real depth explored in each of the issues. In this book the authors explore seven different causes of pain, and how we can “Uncover the hidden potential in life’s most common struggles.” While the book is shallow on psychiatry, it does not lack in the arena of biblical support. This book is replete with scriptural evidence to support the points of the authors. However, I would have appreciated more psychiatry to go along with theology.

When I received this book I was hoping for in depth analysis on overcoming pain, and sound medical and counseling practices on doing so, but I was disappointed to find only anecdotal accounts of people struggling, and then overcoming. I cannot in good faith recommend this book highly to anyone looking to overcome pain, but for those interested in counseling, the anecdotes will provide some help and possibly a fresh perspective.