With the “Mind n Body” series I have been trying to alternate between physical and mental issues to show that balance between the two is important. So in order to maintain that balance, this article will be on Pain Control.
------balance------But “wait” you say, pain is physical right? Wrong! Even though pain seems to be physical, I will show you why it is not.
Pain is simply an observation and warning that something is not right. This can be a broken bone, a headache, or even an emotional trauma. It is not limited to warning of a physical problem, it can also warn of psychological issues as well. Either way, pain is still not actually physical. Pain can be turned on and off at will, whenever you want. There are even people out there that convert the pain signal into pleasure. I don’t recommend this though, because pain is supposed to make us aware so we FIX the problem, not keep it going for pleasure.
When most people experience pain, the immediate action is to mentally “run” away from it. This is a natural “fight or flight” response, and all living things share this trait. The problem with using “flight” in regards to pain is that eventually you must come back and “fight” anyways, so you might as well do it right away. And when you do come back, sometimes the feeling is worse because your imagination has been running wild. Imagination is so much more powerful than reality, and will usually make the problem seem worse than it really is. Believe, Perceive, Repeat as I am fold of saying.
Next time you are doing your Isometric Stretching, or have a headache, smash your finger, or even have an emotional pain, I want you to put all of your conscious attention right smack into the heart of the source. Focus all of your mind directly at the injury and pain, do not avoid it. Now, start to “tell” it things like “reduce”, “less”, “better”, “turn off”, “relax”, “feel fine”, “everything is ok”, or whatever other thing you can think of. As you do this, you will notice that your heart beat is slowing down, your breathing is becoming more regular, and you really are starting to relax. Your tense muscles, squeezing the damaged nerve area is the real culprit to your agony. Relax, and things will start truly feeling better.
Do NOT use the word “pain” in your mantra. For instance, saying “pain go away” is still causing you to focus on “pain” and will reinforce it more. Use only positive words to be effective.
Next, and only proceed once you are able to Master the above paragraph, is to imagine that you are pushing the pain away. I place my attention on the area to be relieved, and imagine that the pain is spreading out, and becoming diluted. Try splitting it up into pieces, and mentally move them away. You will be surprised at how effective this is, once you gain control of your thinking.
I am not going to lie to you, this is not an easy task. It has taken me many years of broken bones, surgeries, cuts and bruises to get to this point. But dedication, discipline, determination, and meditation will ensure your success. Be patient, take your time, and relax. And as soon as you are able, try to figure out the cause of the pain if you do not already know, and fix it as soon as possible. The only true way to fix a problem, is to attack the cause.
Until next time…
-bryan j bailey
Good advice. Sometimes what helps me to control pain isn’t trying to make it go away but rather realizing what it actually is. Why must pain upset us? If we simply acknowledge what it is trying to tell us and move on, why should we suffer? If we break a bone, being upset will not heal that bone any faster. In fact, it’s likely to heal slower due to the negative energy. So ultimately, there should be a big difference between recognizing that pain is present and actually allowing yourself to succumb to it’s power. Try it: pinch your arm and say to yourself “Pain is just the messenger, I decide what to do with the message.” And then relax and don’t worry about it. You know your arm is being pinched, you know you’re not going to do any permanent damage. You don’t need pain to tell you anything.
Self control is one of the strongest tools in our toolbox as human beings. Master it and you can master anything.
AxiomWolf.com
Excellent advice. This kind of plays off our conversation on your blog about people being conscious. The un-conscious person merely cries and complains about the pain, the conscious ones try to do something about it.
-bryan