Physical Pain Dharma Talk

This is a dharmette (short dharma talk) that explores ways to consider physical pain. Pain is a complex phenomenon because of its multidimensional and subjective experience in the body. Using Mindfulness, we can consider the evolution of pain and greet it without judgment or resistance, but with compassion. This is a great talk to listen to before you hear the guided meditation in another audio recording by the same teacher.

Transcript

Hi,

My name is Shelley and this is a short Darmette talk,

Darmette meaning short for Dharma talk about physical pain and how to use mindfulness to become friends with your pain in a sense.

I suggest that you also listen to the pain meditation that follows in another file after this.

I hope you enjoy.

Pain it's a complex phenomenon,

Mainly due to it being a multidimensional and subjective experience that consists of sensory,

Affective and cognitive elements.

So what that means is that when we first experience this sensation of pain,

We immediately begin to judge it as something bad and something that we want to get rid of immediately.

And then we start to conspire against it,

To escape it,

To find any solution that we can come up with.

All the while judging it as negative.

The subjective judgment we add to it exacerbates the pain,

Making the experience so much more intense than the sensory experience alone.

Consider that mindfulness meditation can be used as a tool to create more awareness of the sensation of the pain itself without judgment,

Without resistance,

And perhaps without the evaluation that we put upon it as it's something bad.

Because when we impose this litany of negativity upon our pain,

It will become worse.

And then it can call in other difficulties like anxiety and depression.

And so when we become more aware of what we're actually experiencing without this judgment,

The overall perception of the pain can be reduced.

Jon Kabat-Zinn articulated this well in his book,

The Mindfulness Solution to Pain.

He writes,

From the perspective of mindfulness,

Nothing needs fixing.

Nothing needs to be forced or stop or change or go away.

He makes the case for awareness of a sensation without the overlay of thoughts in order to invoke healing.

He goes on to say,

It is only awareness itself that can balance out of all our various inflammation,

Sensations of thought,

And the emotional agitations and distortions that accompany the frequent storms that blow through the mind,

Especially in the face of a chronic pain condition.

So while we focus on the sensory experience of pain,

It could sound counterproductive,

But it actually can provide a pathway to pain relief that is different than taking a pill,

Advil or Tylenol or whatever it may be,

That usually aims to push down the pain of the symptoms immediately,

Really just masking it.

So I've been thinking about the pain is inevitable and the suffering is optional,

Not an easy task as basic as it sounds.

So I recall the two times I've given birth and how I was more afraid of the epidural needle going into my spine than having the baby come out the canal.

It was logical to me at the time.

I prepared myself for months mentally knowing it was going to be excruciating,

Knowing that I was going to go through some immense pain.

And when the pain came through the contractions,

I knew another one was going to follow.

The pain was so great that I would pass out,

Almost falling asleep in between each contraction.

I knew another one would follow.

And I knew not to let the suffering and the pain overtake me because I knew it would be temporary.

And I looked at the contractions like a wave in the ocean.

I focused on meeting my baby.

So I worked through the pain.

I felt patient and I breathed.

And I knew that I had a team of people there supporting me.

I opened and relaxed into the waves of pain.

However,

When I compare that to the time I hurt my back about 10 years ago,

I could barely move.

I identified with the suffering of that pain.

I was in the best shape of my life,

Going to the gym.

I felt strong.

I felt indestructible.

But the pain was so great,

My legs folded beneath me and I couldn't even stand up straight.

The spasms were so intense.

I was so scared.

I felt trapped by it,

Hating it.

I felt so oppressed by it.

And then I became identified as a person with a defect injury.

I was in the best shape of my life and suddenly I was not.

Oh,

Here I was.

Could this be the gateway to spiritual realization?

I don't think so.

However,

When I laid on that acupuncture table,

I felt supported.

And I realized that there were so many emotions beneath that pain.

I felt ease.

I felt spaciousness,

Compassion,

And the insight helped me to release all the intensity.

Because when we suffer like this,

Our identity gets contracted.

Resisting pain makes it worse.

The back pain was serving some kind of purpose.

To slow down,

To stop resisting the emotions I was pushing down,

The deep anxiety,

The control I needed to have over everything at the time was so important.

Juggling motherhood and working and managing the house and everyone's emotions and needs.

It's a lot.

And then the other consideration,

I think of that silly math equation,

Pain times resistance equals suffering.

So as the pain arises,

We can be more open to it if we think of it as a sensation and how it might be changing and evolving similar to our emotions.

Because when we're in meditation and we're witnessing our active minds,

We're often going to words like planning,

Analyzing,

Judging.

And we can do this also with pain and the sensation of it,

Becoming the witness to it,

Engaged with it somatically,

Applying meta to the physical pain,

Just like we do the emotional pain,

Thinking about what you might say to someone you love who is in pain and say that to yourself.

So here are a few tools.

In summary,

You can resource.

Reversing is a great way to distract your mind from just that pain.

Looking 10 feet in front of you,

Five feet in front of you and identifying something that's standing there,

Sitting there in the room.

Is it a lamp on the table?

Describe the lamp.

Is it blue?

Does it have a cord?

Is it turned on?

What's the light that it's giving?

Is the shade white?

So just identifying and naming the characteristics of an object or something in front of you.

Taking a breath,

Always moment to moment and allow it to be there.

This too.

It's okay.

Which kind of blends into curiosity and meta.

Being curious with this pain.

What are you trying to tell me?

What shape is this pain?

Is it a blob?

Is it a block?

What color is it?

Is it a blue or red?

Does it have anything to say to you?

What is it trying to tell you?

And then meta,

Loving kindness.

Say to yourself,

It's okay,

Honey.

I know it hurts.

It's going to get better.

It's okay,

Honey.

Putting your hand on your chest,

Giving yourself this loving kindness.

So I'll close with Contemplations by Thich Nhat Hanh.

Take a deep breath and let's arrive again.

This body is not me.

I am not limited by this body.

I am life without boundaries.

I have never been born and I have never died.

Look at the ocean and the sky filled with stars,

Manifestations from my wondrous true mind since before time I have been free.

Birth and death are only doors through which we pass,

Sacred thresholds on our journey.

Birth and death are a game of hide and seek.

So laugh with me.

Hold my hand.

Let us say goodbye.

Say goodbye to meet again soon.

We will meet today.

We will meet again tomorrow.

Namaste.

Thank you for being here.

And may you go with your breath and curiosity and feel well.