Touch

Easing the Pain 

"Anesthetics like novocaine or cocaine either block the body's ability to send high-frequency pain signals to the brain or will not allow sodium to flow into the nerve cell. Some drugs manage to confuse the signals given at different stages of the pain message. Naturally occurring opiates called endorphins occupy the receptor sites so that they can't receive the neural transmitter's message of pain. Cocaine interferes with the neural transmitters in just this way." 

 - Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses

     This reading sprung and idea in my mind about coping mechanisms. There are many people who use drugs to numb their pain, and it doesn't ever solve their problems. Pain has internal and psychological connotations as well as physical manifestations and reactions. The use of cocaine to numb the pain process or continuously rejecting pain by breathing, ingesting, performing tasks that manufacture those endorphins are becoming recognized as a widely experienced phenomenon. People use caffeine, cocaine, marijuana, nicotine, menial tasks, exercise, and other things to avoid or numb their pain. The video link below is my interpretation of this.

Easing the Pain