3 Ways To Ease Your Pain
With an MA in consciousness studies and his extensive training in hypnotherapy and alternative health, Peter Bedard has helped thousands of people overcome pain and the fearful shadow it has cast over their lives. Peter has a thriving one-on-one private practice, and he gives talks and workshops around the world. He lives in Los Angeles, California. His new book, Convergence Healing, is available from our sister company, Simon & Schuster.
One in five people in the world are in pain at any given time. It is the great equalizer across continents, race, religion, and gender. Most of us look at pain as something to avoid; something to ignore, shove down, and deny. We don't want to feel it and yet pain is often our most important teacher and greatest gift. What if you started to turn towards your pain? What if you stopped avoiding it and actually embraced it and what it has to share with you? It is time to step out of the fear of the pain and to start working with it.
Here are three simple tips for managing and even releasing your chronic pain.
Stop resisting! You're in pain. It is what it is. Take a moment to actually stop running from it and pause. Face your pain, give it a name even and embrace it. No more shoving it down and avoiding it. When you resist you only allow the pain to linger. The pain will wait patiently for you to deal with it for as long as you keep shoving it down. You may medicate it today but it will be back tomorrow and quite often it will be even stronger. Build a new relationship with your pain that is of acceptance and healthy boundaries.
We all know that healing is something that happens much more easily, sometimes even effortlessly when we feel loved. So, as crazy as it sounds, love your pain. It is part of you and this part of you that is suffering needs to be loved more than anything. Take a moment right now to send love to that part of you that is hurting. Most likely, you've been sending anger and frustration to it. Stop. Breathe. Be present with it as if they it has come to you needing comfort and attention. This alone can often create tremendous healing.
We spend so much time telling the part of us that is hurting what it needs to feel better. What if you actually asked it directly what it needs in order to heal? Our bodies are always communicating with us so why not learn to listen. As you do this, you will notice it being affected by your loving kindness.
So often we want to tell the part of us that is in pain how to heal. What if you simply stopped for a moment and actually asked the pain itself what it needs in order to heal? Healing must take place on all levels of who we are. Often, wounds of the heart and mind are more damaging than physical wounds so ask the part of you that is in pain what it needs from you to heal on all levels, body, mind, spirit.
- Dear (Name of your pain), what can I do on the physical level in order to help you to heal?
- Dear (Name of your pain), what can I do on the mental level, with my thoughts, in order to help you heal?
- Dear (Name of your pain), what can I do on the spirit level, with my heart in order to help you heal?
Listen for the answers and when they come and act upon them immediately. This new way of communicating with your pain is an ongoing dialogue of love, respect, and action. Through these conversations you will begin to develop your own individual recipe for your healing.
Through these simple processes you will move from being a victim to your pain to a larger more expanded and well lived life.