Self-Compassion For Chronic Pain - A Mindful Pause For You

A mini mindful break, offering you self-compassion for chronic pain and persistent symptoms. Incorporating the science of neuroplasticity and the wisdom of lived experience, this practice includes titration - the invitation to gently shift awareness between pain and any neutral or pleasant sensations that may also be present.

Over time, this helps rewire the nervous system and expand the space inside us that isn't dominated by pain. Through mindfulness and paying attention to the body, pain and symptoms with care, we give space for them to be there. Through this softening the body and mind find safety to heal.

As someone who has personally known the struggle of chronic pain and the transformative power of self-compassion, I created this recording to walk alongside you on your healing path. A longer (17 min) version is also available on my page.

Transcript

Inviting you to find a comfortable position, Sitting, Lying down or any position that supports your body as best as it can. And allowing your body to be just as it is, Taking this time for you. And gently closing your eyes if that feels okay or you can soften your gaze and just lower it to the floor if that feels better for you. And taking a slow, Smooth breath in and a gentle breath out, Letting yourself land here in this moment. Feeling the support of the ground beneath you. There's nothing you need to change, Just being with what is. Now I invite you to kindly turn towards your body to notice what it might be carrying right now. Perhaps there's pain, Symptoms, Maybe it's something that's constant or unpredictable. Symptoms that are just frustrating to deal with. Maybe it's pain or symptoms that change or move place. Perhaps there's fatigue from trying to live alongside it all. It might also be frustration, Grief, Fear, Anger or another feeling. Perhaps there's a voice inside that says, Why can't I just feel good? Whatever is here, I invite you to gently acknowledge it. Maybe by saying something like, This is hard, This is painful, Something in me is struggling right now. There's no need to push anything away, Just allowing it to be seen and be known. See if you can gently bring your awareness to the part of your body where your pain or symptoms are sitting. See if you can just notice what is there as we bring it on this ride of cultivating self-compassion. Just acknowledging any pain or symptoms that are bubbling up to the surface. And if at any point throughout this practice, If you need an anchor, I invite you to come back to your breath and just noticing the breath moving in and out of the nose, Rise and fall of the chest or the belly. Or you can bring your awareness to the sounds you can hear. So using the sounds or your breath as anchor points as we venture into this self-compassion practice. And now just for a moment, I invite you to shift your awareness. See if you can find a place in your body or around your body that feels neutral, Maybe even pleasant. It might be the warmth of your hands resting in your lap, Or the feeling of your hand stroking your arm, That comforting sensation of your feet being supported by the earth. The softness of your clothing and your skin, Or the breath moving through the nose, The belly. And even if it's very small or subtle, Just notice it and let yourself rest here for a few moments. In this way, You begin widening your field of awareness, Letting your nervous system know, Yes, There's pain here, But there's something else here too. Maybe there's even the tiniest sense of ease somewhere, Or a part of you that feels calm, Even for a moment. Letting yourself feel that. And if you're really struggling today to connect with something neutral, That's okay too. I invite you to put your hand on your heart or somewhere else on your body, Just letting it know that you see it. And you know that it's struggling right now. And so if there is a sense of calm or somewhere neutral in the body, Just see if you can move back and forth. See if you can move between the pain and the comfort, Like dipping a toe into the water and then coming back to dry land. There's no rush. We're just noticing this moment. This is called titration. It's about noticing what feels okay and expanding our awareness to focus on the other sensations instead of just the pain and the symptoms. And as we practice titration, We're really expanding our awareness to feel both the pain and the pleasant or the neutral or the numb sensations as well. So just take a moment to feel back and forth between these sensations with an attitude of non-judgment. Just noticing the sensations as they are. And now you might like to offer yourself some kind words. You might say, I know this hurts and I'm here with you. Or I see how much you're carrying. You're doing the best that you can. Or maybe it's okay to feel this way. I won't abandon you. Or maybe stay as long as you need. Thanks for protecting me. This is a moment of suffering. I'm here with you, Sweetheart. Letting these words land, Even if a part of you doesn't believe them, That's okay too. Just holding all of these parts with compassion. And if another phrase comes to mind, In your own words, In your own time, Saying that to yourself now. Our body really listens when we speak to it. And so taking the time now to offer it that kindness and compassion, Even when it's in pain, Even when we're feeling so frustrated. And as you speak to yourself with kindness, Just noticing what happens in the body. Allowing yourself to be with whatever sensations are there. And as we start to come to the end of this practice, Remembering you are not your pain, You are not your diagnosis. But you are the one who notices the pain, The awareness behind it. Like the sky holds all weather, You hold this experience. And storms may come, Waves may crash, But you are still here, Still whole and worthy of love and compassion. So gently returning to the breath now, Feeling the movement through the body. And taking one final kind and smooth breath in. And letting it go.