Chronic Pain Validation And Empowerment

This meditation was designed to validate your feelings and experiences related to chronic pain. Learn how to use your breath to nurture the areas of your body and soul affected by pain. Take your power back by learning self-validation.

Transcript

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This meditation was designed to validate your experiences and feelings related to chronic pain.

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Let's prepare for this meditation by choosing a spot either sitting,

Standing,

Leaning against a wall or lying down.

This should be a position in which you think you might find the most comfort as well as an area away from distraction and noise.

If you are in pain,

First treat yourself with whichever modality will allow you the most comfort during this meditation.

It is okay to reposition yourself,

Stand up,

Walk around or whatever it is you need to do to honor your pain during this meditation.

Listen to your body.

You can successfully meditate in any position or positions which work best for you.

Once you have settled in,

Allow your eyes to close or if you'd rather,

You can just lower your eyelids and your gaze.

Allow your arms to hang at your sides or in whichever position feels natural,

Letting your hands rest in whichever position is most comfortable for you.

Let's begin by taking a slow,

Deep breath,

Inhaling through your nose and then exhaling through your mouth.

If exhaling through your mouth is not comfortable,

Go ahead and exhale through your nose.

As you inhale,

Feel your belly rise and your ribs expand as your diaphragm lowers,

Filling your lungs with your breath.

As you exhale,

Allow your belly and ribs to fall back into place.

Notice the areas of pain in your body.

With each inhalation,

Try to visualize your breath touching one of these areas,

Just touching.

And with your exhale,

See if you can visualize your breath softening that area and maybe carrying away some of that pain as it travels outside of your body back into the universe.

With your next inhalation,

Breathe into another area of pain.

Watch as your breath touches that area.

Just observe as it makes that area a little bit lighter.

Continue inhaling and exhaling,

Touching wherever it needs to be touched.

Inhaling and exhaling.

Each time you touch these areas with your breath,

You are nurturing that part of your body.

This is self-care for your areas of pain.

Continue breathing at your own pace.

Be mindful of the movement of your body as it accommodates your breathing.

Allow your breath to follow its natural rhythm,

To follow its natural movement.

Just notice how you breathe.

Notice the spaces in between each breath.

Simply notice.

As you find yourself with thoughts of the day,

I'd like for you to acknowledge them.

It is normal for your mind to think about things while you are breathing.

Once you acknowledge these thoughts,

Encourage them to roll along,

To gently float away,

Just like clouds in the summer sky,

And return your focus back to your breath.

There is no limit to how many times you can redirect your thoughts back to your breath.

Just continue breathing and refocusing.

Focusing on your breath is how you are giving your mind a chance to relax,

Giving it a chance to have less thoughts,

Less concerns.

It will become easier and easier to return your focus to your breath with each time this is done.

Thoughts will continue to float in and out of your mind,

And you will return to your breath each time,

And eventually it will feel effortless.

As you continue breathing,

I'd like for you to set your intention on allowing your body,

Your mind,

And your soul to simply rest.

You may continue to have discomfort while you do this,

And that's okay.

You are creating a space for rest,

Which is independent of the physical sensation of pain.

Pain and rest can coexist.

It is okay to change position to accommodate your body.

As you sit,

Stand,

Or lie in this chosen spot,

In this chosen position,

You are simply noticing your breath entering and exiting your body.

This is just you sitting with you.

This is you resting.

You are taking time right now to honor you.

You are taking time right now to honor your ability to provide self-care,

Despite how your body feels while doing so.

Living with chronic pain is something you experience every day.

Although you may know others who live with chronic pain,

Your experience is unique to you.

It's possible that you might share experiences with others who have similar diagnoses.

It's possible you might have different experiences than others who have similar diagnoses.

It's possible you might fluctuate between sharing and not sharing symptoms with others.

This is because your experiences belong to you,

Not anyone else.

This is your journey.

Chronic pain can affect how you interact with others,

How you participate in relationships.

It can affect your ability to work,

To play,

To go to school,

To take care of your home or your family.

You had to learn how to adapt to accommodate the ways in which your pain affects your life.

This means that your body works harder than other people's who don't have to adapt to the effects of chronic pain.

This means that your mind and your soul feel strains that other people who don't have to work harder at life don't have to feel.

This can induce anxiety,

Depression,

Dissociation,

Fear,

Sadness,

Anger,

Grief.

If you have any of these feelings,

Know that your response is a normal response to an abnormal situation.

Breathe into the emotions you are feeling right now.

Allow your breath to merge with the emotion.

Inhale and exhale.

Feel whatever emotion you are feeling.

Allow it to happen.

Honor this emotion with your nurturing breath.

Cradle these emotions.

Allow them to be.

There might be people in your life who think they understand what it is you are feeling or what it is you are capable of or what it is that you should be doing,

Regardless of what it is that you actually are feeling or are capable of or what you choose to do.

You might have people in your life who think they know the best way to treat your pain,

Even though they don't.

They might become frustrated or dismissive or even angry because you aren't following their suggestions.

There might be people in your life who minimize your symptoms.

There might be members of the medical profession who also minimize your symptoms or don't know how to treat your illness or fail to properly diagnose you.

There might be medical professionals who treat you incorrectly or you might be treated correctly but still feel pain.

You may have been told there is nothing wrong with you after test results come back negative.

Medical providers might not give you the pain medicine you need or question your reasoning for wanting pain medicine.

You might have people in your life who are not receptive to hearing about your pain.

There might be people who become frustrated when you need to cancel plans or avoid making plans,

When you need to limit or modify your activity,

When you don't feel like laughing or you stay in bed for most of the day,

Or when you cry or feel angry or depressed or anxious,

Or when they see you taking medication or napping.

People might become frustrated with your response to your pain.

You might feel judged.

There might be people in your life who don't believe you.

Chronic pain can often be invisible to those who don't share your experiences.

This could be friends,

Family,

Co-workers or medical professionals.

This could be happening with people who love you or people whom you love.

This might cause love to feel painful or you might feel unlovable because of their inability to believe in your pain.

This may be intentional or unintentional.

Some people simply lack the knowledge required to understand and honor your experiences.

Some people might lack the interpersonal skills to actively listen to you.

Some people might have their own chronic pain,

Either physical or emotional,

Which affects their ability to appropriately interact with you.

Empathy,

Sympathy and compassion are not traits shared by all members of society.

Many people have a long way to go in regard to obtaining these abilities.

You might choose to enlighten some of these people to the struggle you face with chronic pain.

You might choose to not engage with some of these people.

There are many ways in which you might respond to those who don't understand or validate your pain.

And you might fluctuate between several different responses,

Depending on how your body and your mind feels on any given day.

You might pretend you aren't in pain to avoid having to explain yourself or to avoid feeling like you are complaining.

You might have other ways of coping with invalidation.

There is no right or wrong way for you to respond to society's limitations.

It is normal for us to seek and expect validation from others,

Particularly from our family,

Our friends and our medical providers.

It is very common to feel shame or disappointment or frustration when this validation is not received.

When this happens,

It is a reflection of those who simply have not been taught or shown how to validate others or to feel empathy,

Sympathy or compassion.

They are not aware of their limitations.

They are not aware of the effects their limitations have on others.

They are just not aware.

However,

You are aware.

You are capable of empathy,

Of sympathy and of compassion.

You deserve to be seen without having to earn it,

Without having to prove that you are in pain or prove that you have tried to heal yourself.

Think about how it would feel to have your feelings and your pain validated.

Think about how it would feel to be seen,

Heard and understood,

Just as you are.

Imagine what it would feel like to have someone simply hold space for you.

To hold space for your emotions.

To hold space for your physical feelings.

I'd like for you to visualize yourself looking in a mirror.

Notice your face.

Notice your body.

Notice your pain.

Notice your pain,

Both physical and emotional.

Now,

Look into your eyes.

You are looking at strength.

Yes,

You are strong.

Remember,

You must carry a heavy load that many others don't have to.

You carry it every day during every task,

Whether you want to or not.

You work harder than so many others at everything you do.

You are strong.

Take a deep breath.

Inhale and exhale.

Inhale and exhale.

Feel your strength within each breath.

Honor your strength.

Breathe into your body,

Honoring the hard work it performs for you.

Breathe into your mind,

Honoring the hard work it performs for you.

Give your body and your mind permission to rest with each breath.

Let's continue to look in the mirror.

Acknowledge seeing a lovable,

Worthy,

Good,

Strong person.

Acknowledge this.

Who you are is independent of your pain.

Who you are is independent of how others view you.

You are just as much a part of the universe as the universe is a part of you.

Keep looking at yourself.

See your abilities.

See your strength.

See your intelligence.

See your joy,

Your dreams,

Your ambitions.

See your talents.

See your knowledge.

See your love.

See all of who you are.

These attributes are yours.

No one can take them away from you.

No one can make you smaller.

No illness or pain can affect your worth.

You own these incredible parts of you.

Embrace them.

Love them.

You deserve to be acknowledged.

You deserve to be seen.

You deserve to be heard.

You deserve to be believed.

You deserve to be loved.

Continue looking at yourself and continue breathing.

Right now,

You are being seen.

You are being heard,

Acknowledged,

Believed,

And loved.

This is you seeing,

Hearing,

Believing,

Honoring,

And loving you.

You are validating you.

Feel this.

Feel yourself satisfying your own needs.

You are holding space for you.

By validating yourself,

You are taking your power back.

No longer will you feel less than simply because others do not have the capability to validate you.

You do not need their validation any longer.

You are worthy simply because you are you.

Feel this empowerment.

As you become comfortable with showing yourself the same love,

Compassion,

And validation that you show others,

You will become more comfortable standing up for yourself when these needs are not satisfied.

As you become more comfortable with standing up for yourself,

You will become more comfortable walking away from those who choose to honor you and your pain in a way that is less than you deserve.

You will become more comfortable setting boundaries regarding who you choose to spend your time with or seek medical attention from.

You have the right to seek medical care from other practitioners.

You have the right to disagree with medical professionals.

This is your right.

You are no longer placing your worth or your happiness or the validity of your pain in the hands of others.

You are in control.

By validating yourself,

Your needs,

And your pain,

You are setting the example for others on how you deserve to be treated.

You will no longer make yourself smaller to accommodate other people's inability to understand.

As you show the world your worth,

The right people will be drawn to you,

People who won't judge,

Minimize,

Or invalidate.

You will be believed and validated without having to seek it or chase it or yearn for it.

It will already be there from you.

You will enjoy those who are drawn to you without having to fear shame or abandonment or rejection.

You won't need to hide parts of yourself.

You will know you are worth the effort of seeking appropriate treatment for your pain.

This is because you will no longer allow others to determine how you feel.

You set the example.

You will simply enjoy being you,

Authentically you,

Just as you are,

Incredibly strong and resilient.

Let's take another slow,

Deep breath.

Notice how easy it is for you to follow your breath now.

Notice how easily your breath replaces the thoughts and feelings which weigh you down.

You will now notice how easily your own validation replaces the need for validation from others.

You now know how to use your breath to nurture the painful parts of your body and your mind and your soul.

This is now your superpower.

You are taking care of yourself simply by focusing on your breath and by gifting yourself with the love and understanding you deserve.

Taking your power back from those who are not capable of understanding or validating you is your superpower.

You don't need external validation anymore.

You are taking care of yourself.

There is no limit to the amount of time you can spend taking care of yourself.

Taking care of yourself is healthy.

It is necessary.

You deserve this self-care.

You are a survivor.

You are strong.

You have the power to accomplish great things.

Remember this.

Own this.

Let's prepare to return to your day by bringing gentle movement to your hands and fingers if this is comfortable for you.

And if it's comfortable,

Bring gentle movement to your feet and your toes,

Moving them in circles and up and down.

Or you may choose to bring movement to other areas of your body instead.

You can scrunch your face and then release it.

You can shrug your shoulders,

Then relax.

You can open your mouth wide,

Then close it.

Whatever it is that brings you back to the present,

Back to your chosen spot.

And when you are ready,

Open your eyes,

Knowing that you are now prepared to experience the rest of your day.

Remember that you have the power to return to your breath at any time during the day.

And you can feel confident in yourself as your ability to validate your pain and your feelings is now your superpower.

You've got this.

You've got this.

You've got this.

Reviews

As one who suffers from lower back pains, I needed it
Great meditation😌

Beautiful validation and perspective on living with chronic pain. Thank you 🙏

So amazing! Comforting and very helpful. Thank you. I feel seen.

I'm so elated to have found this track! Your words are so very true. I feel validated & empowered with this meditation. Thank you!! 🪷🙏🏻🫂

So powerful. Thank you very much, I will be using this regularly.

Thank you. Thank you for understanding all of the ramifications of chronic pain and for speaking to those. Thank you for your validation.

Very relaxing. Positive affirmation that it's OK to be who you are & not hold the onto the burdena of exoection and judge from those around you about your chronic condition.

Thank u so much, again. Exactly what i needed today and will come back to remind myself 💜

WOW, your words were so powerful.
I got quite emotional.
I really needed to hear that today. I will listen to this often. Thank you so much 🙏🏻😊

Fantastic! Definitely addressed feelings I have had for quite some time but was unable to verbalize. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Really good meditation. Discuss the emotional issues that we all face with chronic pain. Be it doctors,family, friends. Anyone. Self judgement