Somatic Awareness For Pain And Symptoms

In this track, we notice and name the actual sensations behind the experience of pain and symptoms, then ask, "What else is here?" This practice calms the nervous system and combats central sensitization (the reason chronic pain gets worse with time) when practiced regularly. The body is a galaxy of sensation, and somatic awareness puts pain in its proper place, as just one planet among many. This helps signal safety and turn down the alarm signal of pain and symptoms. Use this meditation when you have pain or discomfort, or return to it daily to train the brain and lower chronic pain over time.

Transcript

Today's semantic practice is naming sensations in the body. And noticing what is here. Because often when we experience pain or symptoms, That is the loudest thing. And yet we don't actually know that much about it. Because pain itself is not a sensation. It is an interpretation of a sensation. And when we're in a nervous system arousal state, In a survival state, It is essentially a danger signal. It's like an alarm going off, Which is why it's very hard to ignore. But if we can engage more of the prefrontal cortex, More of the higher thinking, Curious, Descriptive part of the brain, That can help turn that danger signal down by showing the nervous system that actually we're safe. Even with this unpleasant sensation that is here. And so one way we're going to do that today is just by getting really curious about a sensation. And trying to describe it as completely and as thoroughly as possible using sensory words. So sensory words have to do with temperature, Texture, Contact, Pressure, Movement, Etc. And the benefit of this practice is, One, It can turn down that danger signal, Which sometimes makes those sensations of pain less intense. And two, If you practice it regularly over time. It can help retrain your brain and rewire the nervous system towards an orientation of safety. So that you have less experiences of pain overall in terms of how our body interprets those sensations. So it's essentially a way to combat central sensitization that causes chronic pain conditions to get worse over time. I would invite you to work with a sensation that you feel safe enough to explore. So if you have sensations in your body right now that feel very overwhelming or very intense then I would choose something a little bit quieter to work with in this context, Especially if you're new to this practice. So with that, Let's begin finding a comfortable place. Allowing your eyes to close if that helps you to tune in to your body. Let's start with just a few deep breaths. Breathing in through the nose. And then releasing the breath slowly out the mouth. Allowing the breath to drop all the way down to the belly. And then an easy, Slow exhale out. On this next inhale, See if you can soften the muscles of the belly and really let that breath flow. And fill up that space. And sighing out. Let's do a couple more like that at your own pace and rhythm. Be feeling yourself sinking in a little bit to the surface you're sitting on Releasing some tension out of the face. The shoulder torso. And the arms and legs. And then bringing your awareness to a sensation in the body. It could be a pleasant sensation or an unpleasant sensation. Just inviting in a sense of curiosity. Starting by noticing the location. Where in your body do you feel this sensation? Does it feel like it's on the surface of the body? Or deep inside or even slightly outside. How deep is it? And what is the size of this sensation? How much space does it take up? Where are its edges? What is the shape of it? Is it round or square? Does it follow the curve of a muscle or a bone? What is the weight of this sensation? Does it feel heavy? Does it feel light? Is it pulling down or rising up? Is it moving in another way? Is it swaying? Or it's dropping. Vibrating or tingling. It might even move around to different parts of the body as you pay attention. We're just noticing. None of these answers are right or wrong. Just paying attention. To whatever is here. Notice if this sensation has a texture. Is it smooth or rough? Or a soft. . . Or bumpy or spiky. Does it have a temperature? Is it warm or cold? As we explore these different sensations and play with different words. Notice if you can feel in your body when you find a word that really fits, That really describes this sensation well. And just notice how that feels. You might also notice a color. Perhaps a sound or a smell. Or an image associated with the sensation. So just noticing if that's present for you. Now that we've explored this sensation with a lot of curiosity and kindness, I'm going to ask the question. What else is here? What other sensations are present in this general area of the body? Can you feel your clothing or the air on your skin? Can you feel contact with the surface beneath you? Perhaps with another part of the body. Is there a temperature or a texture that you can notice? What would it feel like to bring a hand here? Or to support yourself in a different way. Can you notice that sensation of touch? Perhaps a different temperature. Of your fingers. What would it feel like to bring a little movement here? Maybe it's stroking with your hands. Maybe it's a tiny bend or stretch. Maybe it's a little sway. Or turn. Try the smallest movement possible. And let your body be your teacher and your guide here. If you feel an impulse to move, Follow it. If you feel an impulse towards stillness, Listen to that. Notice if your body wants touch or pressure. Or maybe more support. Or softness. And you can stay with this part of the body. Or you can ask again, What else is here? Expanding the question to encompass the whole body. What else is here? There may be other places of discomfort. Other places that feel neutral. Maybe some places that feel pleasant. Just noticing, Noticing what's here. Imagining the body as a galaxy of sensation. Each part. Of the body's own solar system each sensation its own planet. All dancing together. As you practice noticing the constellations. In this beautiful starry sky of sensation. Getting curious about other parts of the body that maybe you haven't noticed yet today. How does your left knee feel? What sensations are present on your earlobes? Or in between your toes. Mapping them onto this night sky. Of sensation. Breathing into your own personal cosmos. Feeling that expansion and contraction. Maybe expanding this question of what else is here. Beyond the edges of the body. Can you become aware? Of this space around you. Aware of the surface supporting you. If it feels pleasant and accessible, Maybe touching some of the textures that are around you. Your clothing or a blanket. Or the chair. Finding names for these sensations. So. . . Smooth. Heart. Texture. Warm, Cool. And then very slowly allowing the eyes to open. And noticing. The sensations present through sight. Is it bright? Or dark. Can you name the colors? That are near you. Do you see movement? Or motion. Softly orienting to your space. Noticing your body in this space. Noticing how it feels now. Maybe briefly checking in with the sensation we first started exploring. And then we'll close with three nice, Slow breaths. Breathing in through the nose. Like releasing easily, Softly. Filling up the body with air. A nice slow breath out. One more time, Breathing into the whole body. And relaxing. On the brass out.