A Zen Approach to Living with Physical
and Emotional Pain
Darlene Cohen
"A practical, down-to-earth, and very wise guide to awakening in the midst of our struggles and difficulties."
--Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart
"Quirky, humorous, utterly serious, and ultimately wise and healing, this book and the meditative practices it recommends and embodies will be extremely valuable for people who suffer from chronic pain conditions and want to learn to live differently -- and better. Darlene Cohen's voice is worth attending to. Her authenticity comes straight from her own lifelong experience with pain and from her work as a meditation teacher in hospitals. Highly recommended."
-- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., author, Full Catastrophe Living
"This book is an amazing practical guide on how to sail across the desire-based ocean of pain and pleasure, the turbulent waves of life, by tapping into the power of peace and joy that pervades us all. Based on universal Buddhist wisdom, it embodies the living experience of someone who has successfully navigated these waters."
-- Tulku Thondup, author, The Healing Power of Mind
"Darlene Cohen's view of a spiritual life is complete, encompassing not only pleasant feelings but anger and other emotions that we so often try to hide. Her teachings derive from the real world of work, family, raising children, community. She gives practical ideas on how to meet life's challenges in each of these settings -- how, despite constant pain, we might life life without giving up the possibility of adventure."
-- Dorothy Waddell, M.D., Assoc Clinical Professor of Medicine, UCSF
" Even while we suffer, says Darlene Cohen, we can experience joy in life by opening up fully to our experience, not closing down. Drawing on her training as a Zen teacher and her own long experience with chronic pain, she offers an awareness approach to living well with suffering."
"Finding Joy Amid the Pain," article in the July, 2000 issue of Shambhala Sun. (Read the full article.)
"Darlene Cohen's comfort with the paradox of acceptance and action is one of the most appealing aspects of this book. And she clearly knows her material. I like it that she is willing to tackle difficult questions -- anger, pain, happiness, busyness--without saintliness. Certainly this is a book I can wholeheartedly recommend to my neighbor, who is curious about Buddhism, dealing with pain in his body, and finding that allopathic medicines aren't working."
-- Joan Starr Ward, excerpted from a review in the Winter, 2001 edition of Turning Wheel.
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