No one wants to suffer. Most of the time we go to our doctor because we don't feel well and we want something to make us feel better. In general we're not interested for the psychospiritual reasons for illness. However, in the day of the shaman, the concern was just the opposite. We don't ask for the meaning of our symptoms in the context of our whole life story and our psychospiritual essence.
What is the point of illness? Is it random and simply bad luck to get sick. Should we treat a set of symptoms with a bag of tools? Or is there a deeper psychospiritual meaning to illness that is designed to enhance spiritual growth?
Clearly it is compassionate to help others who are in pain. However, are we undermining the purpose of suffering by eliminating symptoms without delving deeper into the meaning of illness? We need the best of both worlds, which means when we are ill it is important to consider both suffering and spiritual growth.
