Observing Your Pain: Separating Your Pain From The Matrix

Experienced meditators observe pain continuously in 1 sitting. This beginner’s program ask questions to help you observe pain intermittently in 1 sitting. It separates it from the matrix within which it occurs and promotes tolerance. If a question doesn’t apply, focus on the background music until the question. Listen straight through, then with pauses to answer, and then straight through again. Observing Your Pain together with Editing your Pain and Pain Away Number 11 has a cumulative effect.

Transcript

The Mindful Observation of Pain Separating pain from the matrix.

In this mindful meditation,

You will mindfully observe some chronic pain that you have been experiencing for some time.

This is not to avoid your pain,

Not to forget your pain,

Or even to relieve your pain.

It is an acknowledgement and understanding of your pain.

If by practicing this program you experience some kind of change in your pain,

It is because your mindful observation and your separating a physical sensation of pain from the phenomena associated with it.

Let's begin.

This is not a quiet meditation session.

I will ask you some leading questions and leave you a little time to observe what's going on with you and answer the questions in your heart.

You might want to understand how your body says yes,

Usually yes is easier breathing,

And no,

And usually no is a slight startle response or a constriction of the chest,

Neck,

Or abdomen.

Your body may give you an answer before your mouth does.

Trust the body.

Now get into a comfortable position,

Relaxed but alert.

Regulating your state by paying attention to each out-breath throughout the meditation.

At the same time,

Bringing your attention to the area of your chronic pain.

Scan that area of your body where you are feeling your pain.

And first evaluate your pain by giving it a number from zero to nine.

Zero being non-existent and nine being the worst you've ever experienced.

You may think that these questions are strange or you may not.

If you find some of them too imaginative,

You can just focus on the background music and wait for the next set of questions.

Here you go.

If your pain had a shape,

What shape would it be?

If it had a color,

What color would it be?

If it had a brightness,

Would it be a light or dark,

Bright or dull?

If it had a weight,

How heavy would it be or how heavy would it feel?

If it had a size,

About what size is it?

Is there any symbol that easily comes to mind when you think of it?

Keep a light focus on your out-breath as you continue to answer my questions.

Now notice how you feel about the pain.

Answer these questions in your heart with a yes or no or a maybe.

Do you hate your pain?

Do you love it?

Do you fear it?

Do you dread it?

How does the pain affect your emotions?

Does it scare you?

Annoy you?

Badger you?

Upset you?

Drive you crazy?

Frustrate you?

Does your pain make you feel any of the following 22 adjectives of emotion?

If so,

Just repeating the adjective may be enough to sufficiently acknowledge that emotion.

But if you want,

You can follow it with a possible explanation to observe the associated thoughts.

Here are the 22 adjectives.

Does it make you feel weak?

If so,

Too weak to do what?

Does it make you feel guilty?

If so,

Guilty for what?

Does your pain make you feel helpless?

If so,

Too helpless to do what?

Does it make you feel punished?

If so,

Punished for what?

Does your pain make you feel unworthy?

If so,

Not worthy of what?

Does it make you feel inadequate?

If so,

Too inadequate for what?

Does your pain make you feel victimized?

If so,

Victimized by whom or by what?

Does it make you feel confused?

If so,

Confused about what?

Sad?

If so,

Sad about what?

Lonely?

If so,

Lonely for what?

Grievous?

If so,

Grief over loss of what?

Defiant?

If so,

Defiant against who or what?

Angry?

If so,

Angry with who or what?

Over what?

Regretful?

If so,

What do you regret?

Resentful?

If so,

Who or what do you resent?

Anxious?

If so,

What are you anxious about?

Or you're anxious that what?

Stressed?

Does your pain make you feel useless?

If so,

Too useless to do what?

Impatient?

If so,

Impatient with who or what to do what?

Eager?

Eager for what?

Worthless?

You're so worthless to whom?

Hopeless?

If so,

What hope do you think is lost?

Finally,

With one adjective,

How do you feel about feeling this way?

Are there any feelings you have that affect the pain?

Imagine feeling these ways and see if it makes the pain better or worse or has no change at all.

Imagine feeling busy and how does that affect the pain?

Imagine feeling bored and how it affects the pain.

Imagine feeling interested in something and how does that affect the pain?

Make yourself feel lonely for a moment and how does that affect the pain?

Make yourself feel curious about something,

Anything,

And how does that affect the pain?

Make yourself angry for a moment and how does that affect the pain?

Imagine feeling satisfied about something you've done or something you've said and how does that affect the pain?

Make yourself feel frustrated for a moment and how does that affect the pain?

Imagine yourself feeling relieved about some worry and how does that affect the pain?

Bring up the feeling of resentment and how does that affect the pain?

Make yourself have a feeling of dread,

Dread that something is going to happen or something has happened and how does that affect the pain?

Make yourself feel optimistic and how does that affect your pain?

Make yourself feel a little fear and how does that affect your pain?

Also,

Think about these situations,

Do they make the pain feel better or worse or have no change at all?

Being home in your living room or home in your kitchen,

Home in your bedroom,

Home at the dining table,

At school in class,

At school between classes,

At work,

Running errands,

Shopping,

Being with someone you're close to.

Now describe the pain by answering yes or no or maybe to these questions.

Is the pain sharp?

Is it cutting?

Burning?

Stabbing?

Biting?

Cold?

Fiery?

Itchy?

Grabbing?

Hard?

Grinding?

Gnawing?

Or dull?

Is it a throbbing pain?

Pulsating?

Shooting pain?

Maybe a twisting pain?

If the pain is moving,

Take a minute to notice how it's moving or not moving and as you notice it,

Notice whether it changes in nature or changes in direction or changes in speed as you observe it.

Just keep a light focus on your out-breath as you do.

Know that there are forms of meditation that only observe pain this way for hours and hours.

Now scan your body for any clenching or tightening in resistance to the pain and observe that physical resistance if there is any.

If there is,

Make that resistance a little harder or tighter in what happens to the pain.

If you soften or loosen that resistance,

What happens to the pain?

Relax that resistance a little more in what happens.

What would happen if there were no resistance at all?

That was a physical reaction to pain.

Could there be any physical things like muscle spasms or tightness in surrounding areas that might cause or worsen the pain?

Are there any adjustments that you might make that could reduce their effect?

A tiny stone or a splinter can capture all of your attention,

Making you stop thinking about everything and focus all of your attention on a tiny area.

What would happen if that pain spread concentrically further and further outward into your whole body?

Would it demand so much attention or would it dissipate?

And what about the rest of your body at this moment?

Forget the past and the future.

You only have right now.

What is going on with the rest of your body right now?

Where are you?

Are you sitting or lying down?

Are you alone or with others?

Listening to earbuds or speakers?

What sounds do you hear?

What do you remember seeing around you?

You know the part that is painful.

You have located it already.

What percent of your body do you think has that pain particularly?

And what percent of you or your body do you think is pain free and comfortable?

A moment ago we moved the pain outward.

What would happen if you surrounded the pain with the comfort found in other parts of the body and moved that comfort inward?

Congratulations.

You are a real trooper.

You have rather thoroughly and mindfully observed your pain.

Now let's evaluate your pain again.

What number would you give it now between zero and nine?

Finally,

What are one or two things you learned during this meditation that might help you later?

After you answer that question to yourself,

You can return to a clear wakeful awareness and write down the answers for future reference.

Have a more comfortable day or evening.

Peace.

Reviews

Asante

I found this meditation to be exceptionally orchestrated! The format & content & pace allowed me to identify exactly what is bothering me & where/how it plays out in my life! I am so thankful! 🙏

This was very interesting and the level of pain actually lower!
Thank you 💜🙏
Namaste 🙏

Thank you very very much … much appreciated.. will do it again 🙏😊

Very interesting mindfulness session. Thank you x

Interesting approach to living with pain. Thank you 🙏🏻💞

Thank you! That gave me so much information for dealing with my pain... And it also eased up during the exercises. I have some ideas now going forward. Optimism helped, etc

a unique approach to pain. none of the adjectives fit exactly but the awareness did help