Freedom From Chronic Pain

Welcome to Freedom From Chronic Pain, a serene and empowering 35-minute guided meditation meticulously designed to unlock the doors to a life free from pain. Throughout our unique journey in life, physical and psychological burdens can weigh us down, entangling us in cycles of discomfort. However, within the soothing embrace of this immersive meditative experience, you can discover the keys to your freedom from pain. As you embark on this transformative meditation, each step will gently guide you towards profound relaxation, unraveling the knots of tension that have taken root within your body and mind, while awakening the vast expanse of possibilities that await you. This meditative journey is designed to be a catalyst for lasting change. So, embrace the possibilities that lie within you and allow yourself to transcend the limitations that have hindered your well-being. Step now into the realm of freedom from pain and embrace the boundless potential that resides within you.

Transcript

Freedom from pain.

As you're settling into a comfortable position with your eyes gently open or closed,

Welcome yourself into this present moment.

Noticing the environment and sounds around you,

The touch of air on your skin and sensations of warmth or coolness,

Sensations where your body touches the surfaces that are providing support,

Your body breathing easily and comfortably,

Breathing in and out peace and well-being,

Each breath loosening,

Softening and releasing tightness and tension throughout your body and mind.

And notice any thoughts you may be carrying with you into this present moment,

Noting and perhaps setting them aside in an imaginary folder where you can come back to them later if helpful.

And feeling yourself as a warm-hearted,

Witnessing presence,

Unhook attention from your thinking mind and allow thoughts to drift away like clouds drifting away above you,

Your mind becoming calm and clear like a cloudless,

Open and spacious sky,

Your body easing into the feeling of simply being and being at ease,

Quiet and calm.

And welcome in an intention that you have for engaging this practice,

Something that you wish to learn or understand or something that you may wish to leave behind as a result of taking this time for yourself.

And set attention free to wander about the body,

Noticing areas of tightness,

Tension,

Discomfort or comfort that are present,

Simply noticing and welcoming sensations as they are without going into thoughts or thinking or trying to change or alter what you come upon simply being what is,

As it is,

Sensations of tightness,

Tension,

Discomfort or comfort that are present.

And take a moment just welcoming sensations that are present at the entrance of the nostrils as breath comes in and goes out,

Without going into thinking,

Simply perceiving the natural flow of air and sensation as breath comes in and goes out.

More and more absorbed,

Sensation as breath comes in and goes out.

Now bring attention to the belly,

To the abdomen,

And the natural expansion of the abdomen as breath comes in and release as breath goes out.

Abdomen expanding as breath comes in,

Abdomen releasing as breath goes out.

And if it feels right at the top of inhalation,

Momentarily stop breathing while feeling yourself as the one who is aware of all that's present.

When it feels right exhaling,

Feel the gentle release of the abdomen and at the end of exhalation,

Another momentary stop while feeling yourself again as the one who is aware of all that's present in this moment when you stop breathing at the end of exhalation or inhalation.

During each pause in breathing,

Unhook from the thinking mind and simply sense yourself as the one who is aware of all that's present.

Feeling free wandering about,

Noticing areas of tightness,

Tension,

Comfort or discomfort in the body.

Not changing or altering or fixing what you come upon,

Although you might have this as a preference,

That you'd like something to be more or less.

Noticing that you have a preference about the sensations you encounter.

And when it feels right,

Allow attention to find and settle into a feeling of comfort somewhere in the body.

It might be in the arms,

Palms,

Fingers,

Legs or toes.

Just noticing as attention wanders about the body,

A feeling of comfort somewhere that draws attention to it.

As you welcome this sensation of comfort,

Then let go of thinking about it,

Peeling off the label comfort while becoming absorbed in the sensation that is present without going into thinking,

Just a moment of pure perceiving.

As it feels right,

Find somewhere in the body where there's an opposite feeling,

A feeling of discomfort or tightness,

Tension or pain.

Allowing attention to find and settle into the sensation that's present.

Then unhook from thinking about what's present and simply meet what's present in its rawness as sensation.

And when it feels right,

Return to the area where there's a felt sense of comfort,

Then back to the area where there's a felt sense of discomfort or opposite,

Taking your time,

First feeling comfort,

Then its opposite,

One,

Then the other.

When you're ready,

Gently ease attention into feeling both at the same time,

Comfort and its opposite,

Without going into thinking.

Gently allowing attention to settle into sensing both comfort and its opposite at the same time,

While noticing how this affects the body and the mind.

Then feeling free to continue exploring these opposites or,

When it feels right,

Join my voice as your voice as we take a journey through the body,

Bringing attention first into the hinges of your jaw.

What happens to sensations of tightness or tension when you simply rest attention here in the hinges of the jaw,

Welcoming sensation without going into thinking or analyzing?

Mouth and tongue,

Ears,

Just sensation without going into thinking?

Nose and the touch of air in the nostrils as air comes in and goes out,

Noting differences of sensation,

Warmth,

Coolness as air comes and goes without going into thinking?

Then all around and behind the eyes,

Touch of air or coolness on the forehead,

Scalp,

Back of the head and neck,

Sensing both shoulders at the same time as sensation,

Both arms and hands at the same time,

Sensation.

Welcoming natural sensations of heaviness or lightness throughout the shoulders,

Arms,

And both hands at the same time.

And allow attention to settle into one arm and shoulder.

Just notice which calls attention to it.

Welcoming sensation throughout this arm and shoulder.

And gently slide attention over into the opposite arm and shoulder.

Then gently sense your way into feeling both arms and shoulders at the same time without going into thinking,

Just sensation and natural feelings of heaviness or lightness in the arms and shoulders.

And welcome sensations throughout the torso,

Pelvis and sacrum without going into thinking,

Just sensing.

Legs.

Feet.

And set attention free and welcome the entire body now as a field of sensation,

Shimmering or vibrating.

And allow attention to settle into welcoming and sensing the body breathing itself,

The natural sensations of expansion and release throughout the torso and abdomen as breath comes in and goes out.

As you're welcoming the sensation of the body breathing itself,

Take time now to count to yourself as breath comes in and goes out so that inhalation and exhalation are of equal measurements.

Inhaling 5,

6,

7 or even 8 seconds,

Exhaling 5,

6,

7 or 8 seconds,

Making your inhalation and exhalation counts equal to one another.

Hearing the count internally in your mind.

Welcoming the expansion or release as breath comes in and goes out.

Noticing at the end of inhalation or exhalation there may be a momentary natural pause and if so,

As you pause,

Feel yourself as the one who is aware of all that's present.

Intimately absorbed in counting,

The feeling of the breath,

Sensations throughout the torso and body.

And with each exhalation,

Sense a flow of sensation out into the extremities,

Hands and fingers,

Feet and toes,

Crown of the head.

Natural flows of sensation during exhalation,

Moving out to all the external extremities and surfaces of the body.

And continuing sensing the breath.

If it feels right,

Begin lengthening the exhalation so that it feels longer than inhalation.

With the exhalation long,

Smooth,

Steady and refined.

You can either count or let go of counting,

Just sensing and feeling the exhalation growing ever longer than the inhalation.

With each exhalation,

Letting go into sensations throughout the body.

Notice at the end of exhalation there may be a momentary pause and if so,

As you pause,

Feeling yourself as the one who is aware of all that's present.

And then allow the breath to settle into its own natural rhythm,

Setting attention free to wander about the body,

Searching out and noticing sensations of discomfort or pain,

Peeling off the labels pain or discomfort and simply meeting what's present as an intensity of sensation.

As you come upon an area of discomfort or pain,

Dive into the intensity of sensation that's present,

Exploring where is its innermost center,

Where is its outermost border boundary or periphery,

Taking your time to inquire where is its innermost center and outermost border.

If it's helpful,

You might join with the exhaling breath as you explore,

Staying with whatever you come upon during inhalation,

Continuing your exploration during exhalation,

Exploring where is the innermost center,

The outermost border of this intensity of sensation.

Continuing this exploration,

What happens when you sense into both at the same time,

The innermost center and periphery,

Noticing the effect this has on your body and mind.

And you might inquire,

If this intensity of sensation had a color,

What might that color be?

And I'm not saying there should be a color,

But if there is,

Notice the color that comes into your mind's imagination,

Letting this color saturate and become completely absorbed throughout this intensity in the body.

And when it feels right,

Inquire,

If this color had an opposite,

What might its opposite be?

Letting this opposite color to saturate this intensity completely.

And when it feels right,

Might you go back and forth between these opposites of color,

First welcoming one,

Then the other.

And when it feels right,

Welcoming both opposites of color to be here at the same time as they come together and merge one into the other.

Notice the effect this has on the intensity of sensation and on your entire body and mind.

And set attention to freely wander about without trying or changing or altering what attention comes upon,

Letting everything be just as it is,

Feeling yourself as a warm-hearted,

Witnessing presence,

Awareness.

And notice if there are any sensations and images that spontaneously arise of being somewhere in a beautiful place in nature,

Somewhere where you've been before or a brand new place that you're visiting now for the very first time in your mind's eye.

Noticing the various sights,

Sounds,

And smells that are here,

Surrounded by the beauty of nature,

Perhaps the smell of grass or trees,

The ocean,

The sweet smell of flowers and a meadow,

Or sounds of birds,

The rustling of wind in the trees,

Perhaps the babbling of a nearby water that's gently flowing towards the ocean or to a nearby lake or pond.

Noticing yourself to be carried away by this image or memory that's spontaneously coming to you,

Sensing the ground around you where you are,

The warmth or coolness of air on your skin,

And perhaps a place where you can stand or sit and take a rest,

Perhaps resting your back against a warm rock or tree,

And the gentle warmth of the sun on your body and a wonderful feeling of comfort and ease as you take in the environment and sounds all around you.

And as you're here,

Feel into an inner resource within your body of comfort,

Ease,

Or well-being and how and where you feel this in your body,

Resting here in the ease of simply being and being here in this place where you can feel secure,

Safe,

At ease.

With each exhalation,

Letting go into the feeling of simply being and being at ease,

Feeling okay just as you are,

Perhaps a touch of joy that warms your heart,

A gentle smile that comes into your lips and face,

Letting go into being completely absorbed in the feeling of joy and well-being.

And perhaps sensing that there's something next to you,

A special gift that's here just for you to take back with you to help you remember this special place and your inner resource of ease,

Peace,

And well-being,

A special gift that you can hold in your hand,

Place in your pocket,

Or remember in your heart.

And there may be a special word that comes to you or just this gift of ease,

Peace,

And well-being that you've come upon.

And when it feels right,

Getting up and looking around at your surroundings,

Sensing the environment and sounds around you,

Beginning the journey back to where you started,

Finding your way back here to resting at ease,

Body breathing in,

Out,

Peace,

Calm,

And well-being,

Reflecting back on the journey and meditation you've just taken,

Noting anything that stands out that's important to remember and bring back with you into this present moment,

Such as your special place in nature and the gift you may have received that helped you remember your inner resources of calm,

Peace,

And well-being,

Or the effect of welcoming opposites of comfort and discomfort and color,

Or exploring the sensations of the innermost center and outermost periphery of sensation,

Or the effect of breathing when inhale and exhale are at equal lengths or exhalation is longer than inhalation,

And the ease and comfort that comes with each exhalation as a wave of soothing sensation moving throughout your body.

Noting any of these interventions that you might want to try on and keep on hand to grow your skill of feeling at ease that you can take with you and apply whenever you want,

Wherever you are,

Whomever you're with,

Whatever your circumstance.

And then take a few final moments to set attention free again to wander about,

Body at ease,

Shoulders,

Arms,

Hinges of the jaw at ease,

Welcoming yourself into this present moment and the environment and sounds around you,

The touch of air and sensations of warmth or coolness on your skin,

Sensation where your body's touching surfaces that are supporting it and the ease of simply being.

And when it feels right,

Opening and you're closing your eyes several times as you continue to nourish your inner resources of ease and well-being and the ease of simply being.

When you're ready,

Moving the body about while continuing to nourish the feeling of being and well-being,

Ease and peace that you can now bring back with you into your eyes' open state of awareness,

Taking all the time that you need now before coming fully back to your eyes open,

Awake state of consciousness,

Perhaps taking a few moments of feeling gratitude for taking this time for yourself.

Reviews

I come back to this regularly. Thank you, this was the reminder that I needed that meditation has always worked best for me to ease chronic pain.

I loved that thank you 🙏
I have a lot of discomfort in my body and you've given me some great ways of being with it 😊

Especially like finding the center of intense sensation alternating with the outer boundaries of intense sensation. And reminder to be aware of awareness during pauses between inhalation and exhalation.
9/24/23

Simply wonderful. I really enjoyed the different interventions. Very helpful. Your voice is calm and soothing.
Thank you so much.