Meditation For Chronic Pain

This meditation is for chronic pain. Chronic pain is stressful and frustrating. It can take hold of all of our attention. this meditation will support you in developing compassion for the parts that hurt and direct your attention to the parts that feel good. This is commonly referred to as resourcing in somatic experiencing.

Transcript

This is a meditation for chronic pain. We will learn to resource, Which is a somatic strategy. We will tune into the body, The parts that are in pain, The neutral parts, And the parts that feel good. Sometimes when we are in pain, We can only focus on the part that hurts. This is the mind's way of protecting itself. Tara Brach calls this the negativity bias. We tend to focus on what's wrong. By redirecting the mind to notice all the sensations, We develop the neural pathways to build stronger connections to the parts that feel good. We're not ignoring the pain, Just creating more balance. Let's begin. Please find a comfortable seat or lie down. Notice your breath. Notice your feet. Notice the support of the earth beneath you. Take a moment to appreciate yourself for being here. We will do a short body scan. I invite you to notice parts that hurt, Feel good, Or neutral. Make a mental note and save it for later. If your mind begins to wander, Gently bring it back to the breath or label the thoughts, Thinking. If you're uncomfortable with your body part, Notice the discomfort and either lean in or move on. It's your choice. Come back to notice your breath as you breathe in and out. Notice the belly rise. Notice the sounds in your body. Notice your feet and any sensations in the feet. Notice your calves. Notice parts that feel good, Parts that feel tense. Same thing. Now draw your attention to your thighs. Notice your hips, Your pelvic floor. Notice any parts that feel good, Notice anything that hurts. Now moving up to the belly, The chest, And the back. Scanning for sensations. Notice the shoulders. Notice what feels good. What is neutral. Or there may be pain or tension. Finally, Notice your face, Particularly. Notice your whole body. What parts feel good and maybe even some feel neutral. It's okay. Whatever you notice is perfectly fine. There's no right or wrong answer. We're simply learning to be the full experience. Make a mental note and return to the parts that feel good or neutral anytime. And if you want to spend more time with the parts that maybe are hurting or tense, You can also do this. Otherwise, Gently come back to the external experience by wiggling the toes and fingers, Maybe fluttering the eyes open, Looking around. Feel free to journal your experience. Return to this information anytime you need to resource. Grounding yourself and noticing the parts of your body that feel good and neutral. Thank you for practicing with me. Namaste.