Physical. Emotional. Mental. Spiritual. Pain comes in many forms, diligently avoided by most of us, even at the risk of sacrificing the quality of our lives. But pain can--and should--be a catalyst for change, a doorway through which we travel on our journey from suffering to joy.

In The Gift of Pain, author Barbara Altemus links her personal journey of discovery with parallel experiences of world-renowned visionaries, artists, healers, and peacemakers to explore and understand the nature of pain. By drawing on themes of pain--failure, loss, addiction, lack of community, and loss of homeland, among others--these contributors share their intensely personal times of darkness and how these experiences ultimately lead to spiritual awakening and even joy.

Includes stories of transformation from:

Isabel Allende - Butch Artichoker - Chief Arvol Looking Horse - Margaret Ayers - Rev. Michael Beckwith - Blaze Bonpane - Joan Borysenko - Barbara Brennan - Rickie Byars - Jack Canfield - Deepak Chopra - Larry Dossey - John Funmaker - Dick Gregory - Alaine Haubert - Goldie Hawn - Dr. Gerald Jampolsky - Rigoberta Menchu Tum - Dr. Roy Nakai - Kahu O Te Range - Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi - Martin Sheen - Jana Shiloh - Steven Simon - Frieda Tomosoa - Iyanla Vanzant