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dgreen97
122 Posts |
 Posted - 09/03/2013 : 18:54:15
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We all know when you try to resist anything with the brain, it just makes it come back stronger. Like the "dont think of the pink elephant" type thing. My question is how do you do this with pain and the thoughts around the pain. Instead of trying my best to avoid the pain, ignore it, try to get away from it, lately ive been trying to just observe it and not run away from it. It virtually consumes my thoughts throughout the day though. Is it ok to still have these pain thoughts on your mind and think about them, as long as you're not fearing them?
If you're in pain its obviously very difficult to just stop thinking about it and focus on something else. This can happen if you get distracted by something but otherwise the pain is there reminding you of its presence. Even if you're not resisting it, you can still feel it and know its there. Is the idea to just feel the pain as it is without reacting to it? I was just walking through the supermarket today, had the eyestrain in my eyes, and instead of trying hard to think of something else or resist thinking about it, I just thought about it and also tried to think about what my wife was saying.
So even though I wasn't resisting the thoughts, they were still their and consuming my attention. I guess Im asking if this is normal when you're trying to desensitize yourself from the pain and not fear it anymore. Its obviously trying to grab my attention and instead of running from it, Im just feeling it and not trying to reject the thoughts but allowing them to come in. Am I on the right track with this?
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eric watson
USA
601 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2013 : 01:34:49
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dgreen97-Is the idea to just feel the pain as it is without reacting to it?
Eric- This is a good way
dgreen97- lately ive been trying to just observe it and not run away from it.
Eric- this sounds like Eugene Gendlins focusing or Peter Levine's Somatic Experiencing which is good too if done right.
dgreen97- If you're in pain its obviously very difficult to just stop thinking about it and focus on something else.
Eric- Through thinking psychological or emotional you should feel shifts in the pain after some time right?
dgreen97- I guess Im asking if this is normal when you're trying to desensitize yourself from the pain and not fear it anymore.
Eric- This is normal, Although not for focusing or somatic experiencing but its normal till you start to break conditionings and repressions.
dgreen97- Its obviously trying to grab my attention and instead of running from it, Im just feeling it and not trying to reject the thoughts but allowing them to come in. Am I on the right track with this?
Eric- This is facing by Claire weekes- do you do the floating part? if yes then this is right |
Edited by - eric watson on 09/04/2013 01:36:36 |
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Ace1
USA
1040 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2013 : 08:04:18
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| Ok well what you want to do when you have pain is just know it means that your tense/strained. You can be aware of your pain and know its there but just dont focus on it or focus on what you need to do to get rid of it. You need to direct your attension to reaching a deeper level of relaxation INDEPENDENT of the pain. When the check engine sign comes on in your car, the light remains on until the problem is fixed. In other words turning off the check engine light is an indirect process by fixing the real problem. This means you think , Oh I have pain, leave thought or action in regards to pain and just focus on getting to a more relaxed state. This is when you find out why you may not be relaxed, as finding out why can help you achieve better relaxation, through mind power techniques. Remember that being in a rush even in the mundane things of life can be the major reason your not relaxed. Alos as you repeat this process you will eventually break conditioning, so dont expect results immediately |
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catmac
United Kingdom
57 Posts |
Posted - 09/09/2013 : 12:24:42
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So even though I wasn't resisting the thoughts, they were still their and consuming my attention. I guess Im asking if this is normal when you're trying to desensitize yourself from the pain and not fear it anymore. Its obviously trying to grab my attention and instead of running from it, Im just feeling it and not trying to reject the thoughts but allowing them to come in. Am I on the right track with this?
Hi there,
I think you are on the right track here. I think the key to any illness is acceptance...........then you can deal with the problem.
The way I try and deal with the pain is when I first notice my pain I focus on where the pain is strongest and then I do a bit of self talk (in my head off course as I don't want people to think I'm nuts!!) I ask myself 'whats wrong with you today, what are you feeling? angry? sad? hurt, etc. Sometimes I get answers back immediately and then my brain switches to focusing on what I am thinking and away from the pain.
Another example I tried was when I had deep pain on the lower right of my back I would switch my focus to the left side of my back (which was pain free) and repeat over and over to myself that 'the right side feels exactly the same as the left'. It is amazing how by focusing on this it can shift the pain. My right side did start to feel fine.
For me, it was impossible not to think of the pain at all or just ignore it. I had to acknowledge it first, accept it, give it some of my time.............but then I tried to just get on with the rest of my day and didn't re-visit it till the next day.
The book that helped me the most was Steve Ozanich 'The great pain deception'. He gives plenty hints and tips that you can try .....that is where I got some of my ideas. I no longer have constant pain. I have pain from time to time, but it passes quicker and I know that it will not do me any harm (darned inconvenient, I know but it wont kill me!!).
I hope the above makes some sense. I must have read Steves book about three times before I finally got it. If you read it you will be drawn to the bits that will be right for you and you can then try some of his suggestions. I think we all heal in our own time and in our own way, good luck, it takes time but you will get better
C x |
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Wavy Soul
USA
779 Posts |
Posted - 09/15/2013 : 17:32:25
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Yes - ditto to most of the above.
I have very gradually developed a "so what!??" attitude over the years of dealing with multifaceted TMS. As I documented on the TMJ thread below, I just in recent weeks dealt with very severe tooth pain that the dentist thought was a potential root canal in this way. It was very clear to me that I had "created" or "looped" my way into root canals in the past. So every time the very very bad pain came, I applied the "so what?" attitude that has basically gotten me out of so many other severe and formerly chronic symptoms. At certain points, I used a painkiller or two - anything to forget about it, at least when it was keeping me awake and no other distraction was available.
TMS, the disease of distraction, foiled by distraction!
Love is the answer, whatever the question |
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What you resist persists: pain thoughts
