Pain Management Through Meditation

Everyone wants to be free from pain.

An entire Eastern religion was based upon that very simple statement.  Very wise individuals have spent millennia figuring out how to solve this dilemma.  Their general consensus? Meditation. Meditation is a proven pain management technique, both for physical and mental pain. 

So you’re probably thinking, “Great, but I don’t have time to sit around, cross-legged, staring at the wall.”  Maybe not; but you do have time to meditate.  Let’s take a closer look at meditation: What it means, how it works to manage pain, and how to do it.

What is meditation?  Most dictionaries define “meditation” as the act of focusing one's attention on an object.  The medical dictionary goes one step further by defining its purpose as to increase awareness, reduce stress, and promote relaxation.  These are all good definitions.  But meditation is better defined as the act of clearing one’s mind from external and internal distractions through focus.  And pain is a distraction that reduces quality of life. 

By focusing our minds on an object, a thought, a sound, a feeling, or even an action, we can clear our minds of the distraction of pain, lessen its sting, and more fully enjoy the moments of our lives.

How does it work?  Runners may tell you that a run is easier if they have music to listen to, or if they run with someone else.  This is because music, or another runner, gives them a focus which directs attention away from the feeling of fatiguing muscles (and wild, panicked thoughts of giving up to escape the pain). If allowed to the forefront, these feelings become all-consuming distractions from the act of running. 

The same applies to any strenuous exercise.  Given a focus, one can move beyond what seems to be normal limitations and pain thresholds, and rise to heights of athleticism.

For those of us suffering from pain in our daily lives, the fact that this can be done under the most extreme circumstances is great news.  It shows that we, too, can train our attention. And learning to focus our attention completely on something means “tuning out” our pain, anlearning to enjoy each moment of our lives.

How does one meditate?  The methods of meditation are as numerous as the stars in the sky.  (Well, maybe not that many.) But there is one commonality - learning to control one’s attention through focus on one single thing.

This single thing can be an object: a picture or a cup or even a shadow on the wall.  It can be a sound, repeated over and over; or as we’ve seen, it can be a rock song or a symphony.  It can be focusing on an action; walking, sweeping with a broom (a favorite amongst Tibetan monks), dancing, or even stretching... (with the Piri-Stretcher® by Miracle Stretch® of course)  Also, riddles and math problems can be used to meditate.

First, steady your breathing.  Take 5 deep breaths.  Now take 5 more.  This time, focus on the sensation of the air moving through your nose, down into your lungs.  Listen to the sound.   Pay attention to the feeling of your expanded chest.  Now slowly exhale and pay attention to the feeling of the air leaving your body, the way your chest deflates, the sound of the air leaving through your nostrils.  Note the fact that the air is warmer now as it leaves, than it was when it entered your body.

When your mind has begun to slow and settle, focus on the object you have chosen to meditate upon.  Note every aspect of it.  Don’t form opinions of it, just observe.  Every moment of examination will reveal something new to you.

Before you know it, you will be completely absorbed in your focus.  Your pain will be a distant nip at your consciousness.  Don’t give it your attention, just note it’s there and go back to your meditation.  Same thing with interrupting thoughts.  Don’t follow them, or try to chase them away.  Just note their presence and go back to your focus.

Through practice, you will become better and better at completely controlling your attention and focus.  As you get better, your pain will become less and less of a hindrance.  And even if not entirely pain-free, you will be free despite your pain.