The method described here of how to deal with pain is simple, natural and effective, yet it is the opposite of what seems to be our natural reaction.
Most of our suffering arises from our resistive reaction to the sensation we call pain. If we can address our reaction to it, pain can be transcended.
This article can be applied to physical or emotional pain.
"Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional" - Buddhist saying
Resisting Pain Makes It Worse
Whenever we feel any kind of pain - physical or emotional - we tend to reject it. We tend to try to get rid of it through internal resistance.
This resistance is the thing that really makes us suffer. We then become in conflict with the present moment. The pain is there, and we are resisting it. Resistance has no healing quality, it just makes pain worse.
Acceptance - How To Deal With Pain
Acceptance, however, does have a healing quality. It has a quality of peace about it. Imagine someone in pain. You usually would see their face in agony, hear their vocal expression of pain. Now imagine this person totally accepting that their pain is there.
What would they look like if they were in complete and total acceptance? They would certainly look more peaceful.
When you accept pain, the acceptance:
- Separates you from the pain.
- Heals any harmful resistance towards the pain.
Then, the pain is just there, as a sensation that you do not even call pain, and something that is not part of who you are. This is transcending pain.
Notice when you feel any kind of pain that there is some kind of emotional reaction within yourself that resists the pain. This resistance may also complain of how awful the pain feels, or may continue to feel terrible that the pain is happening to "me" or keeps asking "why do I have to go through this?".
Try this experiment: When pain arises in you, welcome it as if it is pleasure. Stop calling it pain, do not identify with it, and feel it fully as if it is enjoyable.
This may seem strange, but it is a very transcendent technique.
Remove any sense of "I" or "me" or "mine" from the pain. It is just there. Then accept that it is there, love it, feel it fully with a sense of welcoming. This welcoming of pain may seem mad, but is it not more insane to internally resist (and therefore make worse) pain that is already there?
When you approach pain in a more loving manner, this can have the power to instantly eradicate the pain. If the pain does not go, at least the pain bond is broken (the bond between yourself and the pain).
On this topic of how to deal with pain, it is also useful to note that pain is temporary. It will not last forever. "This too will pass" may be a useful reminder while dealing with pain.
How To Deal With Pain In Others
Again, acceptance is the key. Acceptance of someone else's pain does not mean you are less likely to help. It actually means that there is more likely to be a solution that arises if one is possible.
If you resist someone's pain, you are helping to strengthen the collective pain energy. Acceptance of pain transmutes it into greater peace. Their pain is not permanent. This could be emotional or physical pain.
You Are The Awareness Behind The Pain
We all see pain as something that should be avoided, resisted and eradicated whenever felt, yet still we all experience it. It seems pain, whether strong or weak, is an inevitable part of bodily life.
The only thing we can address then, is how to deal with pain. When it arises, will we continue to resist it as if it should not be there, or will we accept that it is part of the present moment, and simply is?
Resistance to pain makes the experience worse. Acceptance of pain can be a tool that takes you very quickly in to a deep state of inner peace and allows you to transcend your sensory perceptions.
You are the awareness of pain, not the pain itself. This is true for everyone.
Guided Pain Meditations
- For dealing with emotional pain, see the Emotional Wellness Meditation
- To help alleviate the suffering lnke to physical pain, check out the Physical Pain Meditation