Many people pay close attention to all the TV commercials telling them how to avoid pain. But pain is the great unwanted therapist. It presses us to do something different.

A woman with a severe migraine headache of five days' duration was about to be admitted to the hospital. She described her pain as pressure and a weight on her head. I helped her deal with the pressures in her life, which were related to her marriage. In a few minutes the headache was gone, and she was on her way home, hopefully to change things and use the gift she had just received.

It is moments of passion and clarity like she experienced that create the desire, intention, and determination to make something happen. Don't fear or avoid your pain, for it might be the catalyst you need to help you release the dam and move you into healing.

Solution of the Day: Under pressure charcoal becomes a diamond. Use your pain and the gifts it brings to change things and create a gem out of your life.

Bernie S. Siegel in 365 Prescriptions for the Soul