Befriending Chronic Symptoms Meditation

Based on brain retraining and pain reprocessing therapy principles, this meditation helps reduce fear and anxiety around chronic discomfort in the body. We'll practice turning toward sensations and getting to know them as their own unique individual personalities, building more positive associations with them over time.

Transcript

Hello my friend,

Welcome to your practice.

This meditation is designed to help you shift the relationship you have with uncomfortable sensations in the body.

We'll practice turning toward the pain or other symptom with loving curiosity and try to get to know them instead of pushing them away.

This is a great complement to somatic tracking and felt sense awareness,

But also works wonderfully by itself.

I experienced a big shift during my recovery after using this technique and started to see my symptoms as their own individual selves with unique personalities,

Quirky personas that I could connect with,

Communicate with,

And build relationships with.

So let's settle in.

I recommend finding a quiet,

Comfortable spot where you can sit or lie down.

Feel into the surface underneath you,

Safe and supported.

As you drop into your body and this present moment,

I invite you to find one area of tension that you can soften,

Bringing more ease and openness.

Close your eyes and let's take a couple slow,

Deep breaths.

In through the nose,

Out through the mouth.

Let go of the day so far and give yourself permission to be here.

So just like you'd begin with somatic tracking,

Slowly sweep through your body now,

Noticing any sensations that grab your attention.

Perhaps there's a feeling of pain,

Heat,

Heaviness,

Tightness,

Fogginess,

Or anxiety.

Perhaps you are already focused on a pounding heart,

An aching shoulder,

A constriction in the throat.

Uncomfortable sensations are often the first thing our brain tunes into.

So just survey the landscape here with as much non-judgmental awareness as you can.

Now see if you can notice any sense of aliveness in your body,

That background energy that is always here,

No matter what symptoms may be present.

Okay,

Out of any uncomfortable sensations you feel right now,

I want you to pick one to engage with.

I recommend starting with a mild or moderate sensation,

As opposed to the most intense or painful one.

To begin,

Just imagine turning to face this sensation or symptom,

And simply saying hello.

Try to see this sensation as just energy,

Free from story or past meaning.

Perhaps you can get a sense of,

If this sensation could take an independent form,

What would it look like?

Would it present as a human?

Perhaps a small child,

An angsty adolescent,

Or a grown adult just like you and me?

Or would it look like an animal?

Or an unusual creature?

Maybe it's a representation of nature,

Like a cloud or thunderstorm.

Take a few moments now to meet your sensation as its own person or entity,

Noticing any details about their appearance.

Once you have an idea of what this symptom looks like,

Invite it to sit with you for a while.

Maybe you can visualize sitting at a table to share a pot of tea,

Or maybe you're on a picnic blanket together in a beautiful park.

Try to treat this sensation as a friend,

Or potential friend,

Someone you want to get to know.

As you settle into this space together,

Ask if this sensation has a name.

And it's okay if nothing comes to mind immediately.

Some of our friends are shy.

Remember that this practice is all about building a positive,

Or at least respectful,

Relationship.

So we start with simply getting to know them.

Now see if you have a sense if they have anything they want to tell you today.

Let's make space now to receive any message from your new friend.

Good.

Likewise,

Is there anything you want to say or share with them right now?

Take a moment to express this.

As you continue to dialogue with them,

Remember to keep your body soft and relaxed,

Breathing naturally.

Take all the time you need to chat with your sensation friend.

Feel free to pause this recording if you want more time today.

So when you're ready,

If it feels accessible,

You can thank your new friend for being here.

You can give them a hug,

Or a high five,

Or a simple smile of acknowledgement.

Then start bringing your awareness back into your environment.

Feel the surface under your body.

The tips of your fingers and toes.

Tune back into your breath,

And open your eyes.

I invite you to take a moment to journal a bit about your experience with this practice,

And any details you learned about the sensation you met today.

And I encourage you to come back to this meditation,

Perhaps picking a different symptom or sensation next time,

Until you've met everyone.

And over time,

You can start to see the relationships that they have with one another too.

Thank you so much for joining me for this practice.

I would love to hear your experience with it,

So feel free to leave me a comment or review.

I'm wishing you well,

And I'll see you next time.

Reviews

Thank you for providing me the opportunity to sit with this headache with compassionate curiosity. Blessings ❤️ 🙏

Very interesting and I found it helpful to make my symptom feel less scary.

Even on a day with a lot of symptoms this exercise brought me small moments of ease in between, I will incorporate it in my regular toolkit

Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful meditation. I really could get into a dialogue and got to say ‘I’m sorry, I love you, I will listen to my body’. I will explore more of your work.
✨🙏✨

Thank you so very much for this really helpful approach to be with, connect and befriend my uncomfortable symptoms and sensations, not just in this meditation but also throughout the day. Incredibly helpful, I am so grateful to you 🙏🏽💚

This was such a fascinating, creative, and insightful practice. Incredibly helpful. Thank you, Mel!

Thank you Mel,
I met my little pac-man buddy that has taken up residence in my right butt check. I am grateful for this easy introduction and plan to make more connections. 💕

This was a really pleasant guided meditation. Very soothing and calming. Helped me feel present in my body and helped ease my migraine. Thank you!

What a unique way to look at pain. Thank you for that.

Great practice for those of us with chronic conditions that we have not come to terms with.

Today I met my friend behind the tingly electricity-like sensations in my whole body, it’s a vulnerable and scared deer that needs softness and love 💕

You have been such a huge help for me in my journey from healing from neuroplastic pain. Thank you so much for your content.

Thank you Mel, this was really powerful and a beautiful companion to IFS parts work. Turns out one of my pain sensations is a duck named Diane 🦆 Who knew 😂