Welcome to this guided somatic tracking exercise to break through chronic pain.
Somatic tracking is a powerful practice to rewire your brain to interpret sensations and emotions as safe instead of dangerous.
Over time,
This can calm the nervous system,
Decrease fear of movement,
And ultimately stop the chronic pain cycle.
Our goal in this practice is not to get rid of the pain.
It's to reduce our fear levels.
Think of it this way.
A tight muscle being stretched can clench up at first,
Trying to protect itself from the threat of being strained.
But if we relax,
After a few seconds the muscle becomes more pliable and tension melts away into a nice gentle stretch.
Similarly,
Our brain can interpret pain or other sensations as threats based on our reaction to it.
This fear perpetuates the pain cycle,
But staying with the pain,
Opening up to it,
Welcoming it in and seeing it with fresh eyes allows the brain to interpret pain as a neutral sensation.
This reduces tension and fear and changes the brain's belief that something is wrong.
There are three keys to this practice.
The first is mindfulness,
Having an expansive attention to sensations in the body.
The second one is safety,
Reappraising the sensations that we feel as safe.
And the third one is lightness,
Having expansive emotions,
Even curiosity,
Toward them.
The objective is never to get rid of the pain.
This fuels the pain cycle and the idea that something is wrong.
Instead,
Somatic tracking helps communicate back to the brain that the sensations you feel are safe,
Not dangerous.
You can use this practice at any time throughout your day.
Let's get started.
Begin by finding a comfortable position,
Either seated or lying down,
And just close the eyes and take a series of three deep,
Nourishing breaths.
In through the nose and out through the mouth.
Allowing your body to just settle,
Your mind to just settle.
Becoming aware of the surface that's supporting your body.
Just feeling that support and bringing your mind from the external world to your inner world.
And as you bring your focus to the body,
Just identify an area that feels particularly pleasant.
It might be a tingling in the hands,
A warmth in the back,
A lightness in your shoulders.
Whatever it might be,
Just rest your focus on that pleasant sensation.
Just feeling it,
Not trying to change it.
Just resting in that pleasant sensation.
Very good.
We'll come back to this part of the body if any sensations get too challenging.
Now what I'd like you to do is identify a part of the body that holds some pain and discomfort.
Just gently bring your focus to that part of the body and allow whatever sensations are present to occur.
It might feel a pressure or a tightness,
A sharp or dull ache.
Whatever it might be,
Just sitting with it.
And when you experience this sensation,
You might think that the pain or the sensation means that something is wrong with your body.
But it's probably not.
More likely,
It's just a warning signal.
Because pain is the brain's guess that something is wrong.
It's a reaction to a perceived threat.
Just communicate to yourself that these sensations that you feel are not dangerous.
They are safe and you are safe.
Just bringing a lightness to this sensation of pain.
Continuing to breathe gently.
Releasing any tightness or resistance you might be experiencing.
And see if you can relax just 1% more into these sensations.
What do they really feel like?
Can you notice that they're constantly changing?
Oftentimes we label things as pain or discomfort,
Thinking it's always there.
But in reality,
If we pay close enough attention,
We notice that it's always changing.
And as you bring your focus to this part of the body,
The sensations might increase,
Decrease.
They might change or morph.
That's perfectly normal.
Just releasing and relaxing into these sensations.
Stripping back the story and just letting them be here.
And you might notice some irritation or frustration or sadness at having these sensations.
There might be a story of what's caused this.
The body being fragile or weak.
But just know that you are physically safe.
Just dropping whatever stories you have around these sensations and just letting them be there.
Observing them without judgment,
Without effort.
What happens if you try to feel the sensation from the inside out?
Bringing in a sense of curiosity.
Noticing if the sensations have a color or a texture to them.
Is there a shape that comes to mind?
There's no right answer.
Just continue to breathe gently and easily while you rest your focus on these sensations.
Nothing to do.
Just being.
Being with them.
Nice work.
And as we conclude this practice together,
Bring your focus back to the part of the body that felt good and expansive.
Let it enter your mind,
Your awareness.
And take just a couple breaths into that pleasant feeling.
And seeing if you can hold both that pleasant,
Expansive feeling in one part of the body with the challenging sensations in another part of the body.
Seeing if you can make space for both of those in your awareness.
And just knowing that you're safe,
That you're protected,
That it's okay to open up to the body.
Just notice what that feels like to hold both the pleasant,
Expansive sensation and the challenging sensation in your awareness.
And if things shift and change,
Great.
If they stay the same,
That's perfectly okay too.
We're working on being with these sensations,
Not trying to change them.
Now,
Just bringing your focus to the entire body,
From head to toe.
And just noticing your body breathing.
Feeling the contact between your body and the surface beneath you.
And the support.
Taking a nice,
Deep breath in through the nose.
And letting it go with a nice sigh.
Letting a smile curl to your lips.
And whenever you're ready in your own time,
You can open your eyes.
Fear is what reinforces the chronic pain cycle.
And you've just worked to reduce your fear of pain.
And you can return to this practice regularly,
Strengthening your new interpretation of these sensations.
Reminding yourself that you're safe.
And that you have the capacity to hold them in your awareness.
