Suffering, as understood by Iain McGilchrist, is not merely the presence of physical pain or discomfort, but a profound and multifaceted experience intricately tied to our existence and awareness. It emerges from the inherent tension between our longing for unity and the inevitable fragmentation of reality as perceived through the divided brain. The left hemisphere's dominance in modern culture exacerbates this fragmentation, leading to a disconnection from the holistic, context-rich perspective of the right hemisphere. Suffering, therefore, symbolizes a deeper spiritual and existential dissonance, a call to rediscover balance, meaning, and wholeness within the fractured world. It is in the very recognition and transcendence of this condition that one can move towards a more integrated and meaningful existence.

See also: consciousness, mind, reality, brain damage