Practice For Acute Pain

This short practice is a powerful tool for decreasing acute, isolated pain. This very simple technique can be used anytime. The process has evolved since I first started using it for an injury causing severe pain. I now use it regularly as an ending meditation in my Functional Fitness class for older adults who regularly struggle with joint pain, all of whom report a significant improvement post-practice.

Transcript

Welcome.

You may do this meditation sitting or lying down.

Invite you to soften your gaze or close the eyes.

Begin to follow your breath as it moves in and out of your body.

Observing the quality of the breath.

Is it fast or is it slow?

Is it shallow or is it deep?

Notice if there is a shift that would feel appropriate for the breath at this moment.

Begin to take your awareness to the place where you feel pain right now.

Try to find the epicenter of that pain.

Notice in this place how it feels.

What is the sensation?

If there is a color,

What color is it?

Notice the temperature.

If it were to make a sound,

What sound would it make?

If there were a texture to this,

What would it be?

Now begin to take your awareness outward in all directions from this epicenter until you find a place that does not have pain.

When you reach this place,

Tip across the border into the pain-free zone.

Notice how it feels in this pain-free zone.

What is the temperature?

What is the texture?

If there were a sound or a color,

What would it be?

Relax in this place free of pain as you follow the breath in and out of the body.

Now move back into the area of pain.

Notice as you do,

If you have to go further before you start to feel the sensation of pain,

Go back to the epicenter of that pain and notice what has changed.

How does it feel here?

Travel outward in all directions now until you reach the place that is pain-free.

Notice if you had to move as far away before you found that place.

Step back across the border into the pain-free zone and just relax,

Relishing in this area that is pain-free.

Notice how your shoulders relax,

How your breath deepens slightly.

Notice the sense of ease.

Once again,

Travel back to the epicenter,

Noticing the journey.

In the epicenter,

Notice if anything has shifted,

If the intensity is less than when we began.

Remembering that pain-free zone and how it felt to be there here in the epicenter,

Bring in some of that sensation as if you're infusing the epicenter with that ease,

That relaxation,

That peacefulness.

Allow your breath to deepen.

Allow that epicenter of the pain to continue to soften.

You may stay here practicing this softening for as long as you like.

You may come back to this place at any time,

Always returning to the epicenter to check in and then shifting outward to find that pain-free zone and resting there and going back and forth.

As each time you travel,

The radius becomes smaller and smaller,

A lesser distance to travel until you're able to just be in a very small area where you can bring more and more of that ease into it.

Be well.

Reviews

I was in tears of agony while waiting for an emergency dentist appointment. The pain is so big but also I feel trapped by it, like I was starting to go a little crazy. I decided to try to find an acute pain meditation not thinking it would work too well but hoping for a calmer mind. This meditation was SO effective. I was wrong about how effective it could be. I was able to bring the Jello-o texture, sage green color and cat purring sound from my blissfully pain-free belly up into my blinding red, cheese grater texture, banshee screaming tooth. I cannot believe how much the pain in the tooth subsided. The pain went from a panicking, crying 8 down to a manageable 4 or 5. Which is miraculous when you’re in a starting-to-freak-out level of pain. I’m so relieved, I’m so grateful, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank you. I have practiced this technique before but forgotten about it.

Literally one of the most brilliant ways to manipulate the synapses I have ever heard this was so so magnificent and helpful- I’m recovering from surgery and literally just used this to be able to use the bathroom. THANK YOU.

I found that helpful with lower back pain. Thanks.

Thank you so much for this pain changing meditation 💙🙏 it is wonderful to feel the sunshine in the pain areas and smile 🗺 stay safe and happy 🙏Namaste

Very accessible technique. Thank you.

Really effective practice for pain! Thank you so much for sharing this

I LOVED this! Thank you so much. 🙏

I urge everyone to try this, it really works. I just know I will be returning to this meditation to help with my sports injuries. I won't be ignoring the pain just being mindful

Wonderful thank you 😊

Very helpful, especially when waking up with neck and spinal pain/stiffness. Been using this track for a long time now. Addresses both chronic and acute pain quite nicely! Thank you so much for continuing to share this practice with us. I see you and the light within you. Be well. ❤ 🤲🏻❤

Magically effective! My area of chronic pain that has worsened and become acute was amazingly pain free after the meditation. I then did it for an acute area of pain and had nearly the same results. I recommend this meditation unequivocally. Thank you Wendy!

helpful thank you

Thank you so much. So helpful

Amazing. Powerful. Effective. Calming. Thank you so much for this beautiful meditation. It calmed a Fibromyalgia flare-up before it could really take hold. I highly recommend this meditation.

Very helpful! Thank you!

This really helped me.

Awesome for acute daily localized pain I have.

This truly helps my intense chronic fibromyalgia pain. It helps me soften and lessen the area.

Amazing. Last week I managed to injure my back with one odd twist, & it's been *some of* the most intense pain I've had.
This was very easy & non-technical, non-intimidating. She doesn't mention chakras, but I went & looked up which was affecting me & it's color, to help with the visualization.
After finding some relief at first, I was hesitant to step back into the pain. But as the purpose became clear, I was more comfortable emotionally and physically. After the guided practice, I continued the meditation, until I fell asleep, relaxed.
Very happy to have found this short, effective guide!