God

If your faith is strong, then that's what you will take your strength from. If you do not commit and believe fully then it really won't do anything for you. I too am not particularly religious. I do believe in the spirit though and believe we all are an integral part of the universe and the universe is a living thing in itself, as is the spirit. Religion is just a way of grasping a perception in order to explain the unknown. I believe whatever the truth is its got nothing to do with what most of the religious sects think it is and it's really a matter of personal choice on which religion you choose, if any. Whatever makes you feel better, do it. Life's too short to live by ridiculous religious rules when clearly whoever "god" is ain't doing their job properly.thats not to be confused with morals though lol.good luck, I think a bit of soul searching and deep thought is in order if you are having a "crisis of faith"...

you are right that this can be a very contentious subject! for what its worth i will give a little of m thoughts- basically i am still working out exactly where i lie. i was brought up with the very basic christian story, but also i went to the primary school system in the UK in the 60's and early 70's before we migrated. We had a lot of people from non christian non english backgrounds (new arrivals) and our school handled it by teaching little bits of all the systems and i must admit i loved that

i moved away from any kind of religious thoughts as a teen and young adult but then when i had my original accident and life got more challenging- was frequently hit with that old line of "god never gives you more than you can bare" my response at the time was " he has severely misjudged my abilities"! i basically moved owads more of a practical, scientific view of life and when hands on nursing got too hard i started studying biomedical science at university- the more in depth we went the more i came back to some kind of intelligent design - basically because humans have attained a lot of scientific knowledge but there is still so much that we cannot explain and cannot replicate or fix when it goes wrong etc. it seems hard to believe that all this complexity in life , such as when you look at chemical process with the human cell etc, its hard to believe they have occurred by random changes and then survival of the fittest!

i have even considered this more abstract situation- we look down the microscope and see these microscopic life forms in there own ecosystems in cells etc. I have trouble considering the concept that the universe is never infinite, could it be that humans and all the life around us is just another cell or ecosystem with some different form of life at another level above and around us(so that we are effectively the bacteria and viruses! bit bizarre but i guess what i come back to is some kind of intelligent design but what the nature of that is i am still deciding. When i have been feeling very down i have actually found it helpful to look at this kind of stuff- hw certain number series seem to occur repetedately in nature etc. i have yet to find a religious belief system that satisfies completely, so i go back to being that kid in primary school and picking concepts and thoughts from variety of systems- i guess i get annoyed by the politics of formal religion. I had a great physio at one time and she was a quaker, very giving and gently with others, the most non judgemental person i have ever met- she was highly qualified and could have had a healthy private practice but instead she would in our public system until she could afford to go away again and then she would go to a variety of trouble spots around the world -not to spread her religious thoughts, in fact thats one thing she would never do- i believe the relationship with God was a very private thing for the quakers, but she would share her professional skills, trying to set up small dom care type systems in some of these locations. anyway i am ramblin now

one thing though- over the yrs as we have absorbed different ethnic groups into our community here have been occasions where schools and kindies have banned father christemas, nativity plays, easter etc in case it upsets those fro non christian belliefs- we were taught all the traditional bible stories at school, not as a religious sotry but as a lesson about morals etc. we also learn stores from the jewish faith, islaam and whatever other students we had- so every one was included rather than excluded - it was treated as a form of social studies but i think it was a way to try to reduce the risk or bullying and fighting in the playground from an over crowded and very mixed race school

A supreme entity I do not believe in, I believe god to be everyone's own mind, we are all god, we have the power to change destiny, so believe in yourself.

Don

Illeatyu,

I think you really ought to see your GP about the depression and see if some medication could help with it. I say this, because there is no point looking for answers to deep and meaningful questions when your are depressed.
I know this for myself to be true. Just about everyone who suffers pain will have at some point been clinically depressed and we go in and out of a reactive type depression on an almost daily basis.

For me though, I am a practising Catholic and I am quite strong in my Faith. Does it help me?
Of course it does!

I believe in only one God and one Lord whom will save us from spiritual death. And I guess my daily devotions to God do help me keep my state of mind very clear. Does it stop me from still suffering pain? No!
And from what I have learnt in my Faith journey, God has little control over what happens to us in our lives, because He gave us free will. If He is to interfere with what happens in our daily lives, then He would be a liar.
So, to blame God for what is happening, is not right.

To sum up Mate, I have to say that I think before you start trying to answer these questions, you should first deal with your depression, then have another look at it when you are more able to think clearly about how you actually feel on the subject.

There is a lot more that could be discussed here and I am happy for members who have some Faith based belief system to run a thread, but this forum was never really set up for religious discussion or political activism. Although, our Faith is more closely bound to us than politics.

I'll let the majority decide. But I caution all members who partake in discussing religion and/or Faith based beliefs, that the as soon as any problems occur we may have to consider shutting the thread down. I am not trying to stifle any religious discussions at all. But there are a huge number of religious groups out there on the internet for anyone to join where they can meet with others who practice the same faith.

Unfortunately, there are very few groups out there where people can just come along and get some moral support for the pain they suffer, without there being any strings attached and that is what this forum was set up for.

NOTE: There will only be one thread allowed to discuss religion and faith based beliefs. Do not start up multiple threads on these topics, because they will be removed!

Peter

Guy's

Thank you for your input, it helps.

My intention was never to start a religious discussion it was more a what helps type of discussion like the ones we have on meds, I understand where Peter is coming from and I agree, the last thing I want is for people to get upset or worse still not tell us when they need help,because of a religious issue.

I think at the moment I am looking for answers, yes my depression is up, I,have what they call major depression and when the pain is up like it is now with my wonderfull elbows, it gets hard to cope, I have spoken to my doc and I am upping my meds for a few weeks to see if that helps, we may even have to up the Lyrica or add oxy to the mix for the bad days.

I just want to know what other people find helps, be it prayer, meditation, music, crystals, hot rocks, whatever.

And Peter if this thread has upset anyone please remove it that was never my intention.

Regards

Ricky

There's no problem Ricky. No one has been upset and probably no one will. I put all that stuff in the last post to make sure I got the message across. We have had some problem members in the past and I know they come in to the forum occasionally and have a look around. Hopefully they won't cause any more trouble, but you just never know.
And knowing how religion is such a touchy subject to some people in society, it is probably best we just leave this forum for supporting people in pain.

I'm not going to remove this thread unless a problem occurs. You created the thread for a valid reason and there is no reason for me to remove it.
Those who wished to contribute did and all is well.

I do hope you will get the right treatment for your depression. It is such a rotten thing to suffer, especially on top of chronic pain. So Mate, you got a lot of friends here who understand your plight.

if this helps, (and i promise no rambling tonight)- i can relate to the connection between depression and periods when my pain is less well controlled- and i think that that is something that is pretty common with most cp' ers. for me i get frustrated with the lack of control over my situation. i have taken an have recently started back on antidepressants as i am having a difficult time with the pain stuff at present due to my equipment issues, and i find that basically they help by improving sleep wake cycles as for when i am really down i just cannot sleep, then end up exhausted and alling asleep when its not really appropriate

basically i think it is quite human/normal to start looking at the subject of belief and faith at times when our lives are less than perfect and perhaps out of our control- its about that need to feel that things wil be alright. I think that Oxytotem has summed it up well and certainly much better than i did!!! I am a person of faith but not necessarily a formal religion perhaps thats because i have not found what i have been looking fr yet but i certainly have no issue with believing that there is something bigger than us

i certainly hope i did not say anything to offend anyone- i think my ramblings were partly due to severe lack of sleep after having to sleep in my wheelchair for most of the easter weekend AND the fact that i am still looking for a more stable belief system/ religion myself- and i guess one thing i was trying to say was that even from what i have seen so far most major religions have something we can learn even if it is just to respect the differences between peoples beliefs

Hey thanks Kebsa, and while many of your posts are quite extensive lol, you certainly don't ramble (in my opinion). Rambling is what those old "god fearin" preachers in movies and over zealous psychologists do when they have something impercievable stuck in their heads and can't help but keep blabbing on about it til you get brainwashed and believe them haha!you are certainly a valued and educated member of our little society and don't you forget it lovely lady!its funny how some people say never discuss politics and religion with people, well if you are mates then you shouldn't have a problem, like my friends and I have many and varied conversations on world religion and politics, and I see it as a chance to learn and broaden my perspective before coming to my own conclusions lol. Whatever you choose to do iileatyu, it has to feel right for YOU. I find the binaural songs on YouTube very good for helping with my sleep, I also enjoy doing Pilates and yoga to help me relax and strengthen my core and stretch the muscles. If crystals and paganistic rituals work for you then go for it! No one knows you better than you, so play around, it won't do any harm to try a few things, just don't get roped into paying out money for some quick fix or crystal ball fortune teller on late night TV hahaha! I myself have even read the satanic bible, for a giggle, and found that bar the blasphemy and hellfire quotes, it's actually a book based on self help really, it basically tells you to look after number one first, and to not go out of your way to put up with the people who look down and degrade you, but to cherish the people who care. It doesn't even talk about animal sacrifices or any of that rubbish people think it does. I'm not saying Satan is the way or anything though mind, I prefer to keep to the light lol, but just don't let anyone cast a shadow over me, because lifes too short, that's all. Best of luck, considering this is probably my biggest post, I'll stop rambling now haha, Tom.

Hi Ricky,

You have definitely not upset anyone. You have started a thread on what people do to help with pain management besides medication and that is good. I am glad that your depression is being looked after as well because that in itself can make pain worse and then that in turn makes the depression worse and it just becomes a vicious cycle.

Are you housebound at the moment? If you are, is it possible for you to go somewhere a few times/week - even if it is just to sit in a park on a nice day or look at the ocean if you are near enough. It comes back to my doctor's theory that you may have heard me mention before. If the level of the "bad" jar becomes lower than the level of the "happy" jar, then you will feel bad. Sometimes it doesn't take much to top up the "happy" jar a bit and several "bits" can sometimes be enough to help. I realize that this may not be much help with major depression but I thought it might help a little.

I often run into trouble in the Winter (fast approaching). I tend to stay indoors more, which means I move less, not to mention the cold. I have avoided major depression so far but I am certainly not as happy during the Winter months and I have to make a conscious effort to do something to top up the happy jar.

As far as non medication methods of coping go, I use music, relaxation and I also find I manage better and sleep better if I have a rest (and use my relaxation or listen to music) in the afternoon. I have never been one to lie down in the daytime, but I am learning that it is better if I do. Usually it is under an hour, but it does seem to help. I also find that I am better after social occasions such as family birthdays. Other than that, I use a tiny TENS machine that I can carry in my pocket and heat packs.

Mary

Hey Guys,

I'm sorry if I put the wrong impression across. Nobody has upset anyone else with this thread. I am very happy for any of you to continue to discuss your belief systems here if that is what you want.

I never said what I said for the benefit of our regulars, because I know you all respect the rules and are respectful of each other. I stated all that stuff for the people who have no respect and they are there reading in the back ground waiting for an opportunity to disrupt the forum yet again.

Because this forum was set up for a specific purpose, I decided that we can't allow this topic to spread out into many threads, because it could become a problem, plus it will eventually detract from the one main reason the forum exists, which is the support of chronic pain sufferers.

I myself am happy to discuss religion and beliefs systems, but I am restricting myself the same as everyone else.

So please, go right ahead and use this thread to discuss whatever you want, providing it is respectful.

Peter

Mary

I like the good and bad jars idea, I can picture that in my head.

I'm not house bound I still work full time and by the end of the day I'm in lots of pain and feeling sorry for my self, so some days are better than others.

My good jar needs filling but I'm at a loss, I volunteer with St John and Compeer cause they make me feel good, but I'm having trouble finding joy in anything else, so if anyone has any other ideas of good jar stuff please let me know.

Or even ideas on how to empty the bad jar would help.

Now I'm fairly open mined so as long as I'm not naked in public ill try most things, and that's only cause I don't want to mentally scar anyone 😛 .

So thanks in advance for the help I know you guys will give me.

Thanks

Ricky

Hi Ricky,

I seem to be very much the same as you... still able to work and do things but just finding it all rather miserable. I however have been looking into Buddhist beliefs. They all seem very common sense and are in a way, very similar to the things I have learnt about through doing cognitive behaviour therapy with a psychologist. It's a bit difficult to explain especially right now as im rather tired but it (Buddhism) looks at human suffering and wants, why people are so unhappy etc etc. this is a good website for just a basic understanding of what it's about
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/5minbud.htm
I have a few books and I read bits and pieces of it...

Kate

Thanks for the link ill have a read.

Did you post your story in the welcome page if you did what page so I can have a read.

Thanks

Ricky

I don't remember but I do have a blog boatwrightkatestuff.blogspot.com about all of it. It's quite long so I'll understand if you don't read it ha ha!