This is a teaching on the practice of RAIN.
RAIN is a practice for working through painful experiences that was first developed by Michelle McDonald.
I learned this practice from Tara Brach.
As Tara Brach uses it,
RAIN is an acronym that stands for Recognize,
Allow,
Investigate,
And Nurture.
This is a four-step process which is just another practice rooted in appreciative attending.
It is a fantastic practice for getting to the root of our pain and then for healing that pain.
So here is the practice.
First,
Recognize.
Practice attending to the now as much as possible throughout your day,
Asking continuously,
What is this?
When there arises in awareness a strong thought or emotion,
Pause.
Note it.
It could be shame or another painful feeling like anger or fear or self-hatred or anxiety or hurt.
You can also do this with positive emotions as well.
When emotions or feelings arise,
Note,
This is like this.
Feel and acknowledge your pain and vulnerability.
Second,
Allow.
Allow yourself to feel fully what is felt,
The painful feelings and any thoughts or stories that go with the feeling.
With radical reverence,
Honor whatever is arising.
Honor any painful memories,
Thoughts,
Beliefs,
Understandings,
Or judgments.
Practice your appreciative attending.
Refrain from judging,
Suppressing,
Or pushing away anything that arises.
This includes not judging any negative judgments that arise.
Allow yourself to see and be with whatever is arising.
Let it come and let it be.
The I of RAIN stands for Investigate.
Having fully apprehended and lovingly allowed the contents of consciousness to be as they are,
Begin to investigate in the spirit of,
What is this?
And Why is this?
Be gentle,
Kind,
And curious in your inquiry.
Imagine a wise and loving part of yourself investigating your experience.
There are many questions you can ask.
For example,
You can ask,
Why am I reacting as I am?
What's triggering these thoughts and emotions?
I think it's especially helpful to ask yourself,
Does this situation resonate in any way with past wounds?
Look past your current experience into the original pain that this might resonate with.
What am I feeling in the body?
Tune into your body.
Note any expectations or stories or beliefs that there are about the situation.
Does the situation trigger beliefs that you're bad,
That others are bad,
Or that this situation is bad?
Does the situation resonate again with past experiences where perhaps I felt I was not enough or I didn't have enough?
You can ask yourself,
Are my beliefs and stories true?
How could I definitely prove in a court of law that they are absolutely true?
Is there any difference between my expectations of how things should be and how things actually are?
What does it feel like to have these beliefs?
Do they enhance my well-being or do they harm my well-being?
How does it feel to let go of painful beliefs that I'm not 100% certain are true?
How would it feel to let go of expecting things to be other than exactly as they are?
Does this situation resonate with past traumatic experiences that left me with similar feelings or painful beliefs?
What is needed to soothe myself?
Is it to diffuse and distance myself from a painful narrative?
Is it to see the harmful consequences of negative judgments so that they might receive?
Perhaps there is a need to give loving kindness to myself or to others.
Perhaps there is just a need to accept and honor myself and others just as we all are.
In your inquiry,
In your investigation,
Explore what you might do to better a painful situation.
What must be accepted and what might be changed?
In investigating,
You might even call someone you know who is wise and supportive to brainstorm with them.
What might you be able to do to soothe and nurture yourself or act with love?
Ask yourself,
In this situation,
What would love do?
The end of RAIN is for Nurture.
This is a decision to heal.
Put a hand on your heart.
Offer yourself kindness.
Feel a compassionate caring for your pain and vulnerability as your own ideal parent.
You might say to yourself,
I'm so sorry for your pain.
Or you can say,
I care about this suffering.
You might reassure yourself saying,
All is well and all will be well.
You might say,
It's okay,
I'm here for you.
You might offer yourself encouragement and hope that you can endure and that this will pass.
You can reach out and ask for help from people who love and care about you.
You might also visualize love flowing into your heart from people you know who love you from your experience of other great loving beings.
Or perhaps you might experience love flowing through you from a universal loving presence,
Spirit or force.
Remind yourself of the sacredness of all experience.
Through your attending to this moment,
Settle into loving awareness.
Now,
If beneficial,
Take loving action to nurture and soothe yourself and others.
After you've gone through RAIN,
You can move into what Tara Brant calls After the RAIN.
This is your state of presence and loving awareness,
The state that all of these exercises cultivate.
