Sometimes, when a patient has a serious brain injury or seizure disorder, doctors will put them into a barbiturate coma. This (for complicated medical reasons) allows the brain to heal. Occasionally, a medically induced coma is applied for other serious injuries, to protect the patient from unbearable pain. The patient eventually wakes up and has basically slept through the worst thing that's ever happened to them.
It seems like this is a tactic that could (and should) be used for emotional devastation as well. "A broken heart, you say? We'll let you sleep it off. When you wake up, you'll be right as rain." Unfortunately, even if the medical community was willing to do such a thing, it wouldn't work. A person could sleep indefinitely, but when they woke up, the pain of heartbreak would still feel fresh.
Someone should do something about that.
2 comments:
I love how you write really short, simple observations/post at times but they are often multi-layered, deep, wise, little gems that really make me stop and think. huh? yes! So true... :-)
Thanks Toddy. I find that my best posts, like this one, happen when I'm really sad and trying desperately to fall asleep. My brain writes them and then I have to drag myself out of bed to type them up. ;)
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