Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin. Although, if you are in pain, getting comfortable could be quite tricky and you might find yourself wriggling around or fidgeting to find the perfect position. The thought of sitting still for any length of time may sound crazy, but what about sitting still, not doing anything, and just trying to be present – torture? So that is what I am asking you do with some mindful meditation.
Play your own kind of music
When it comes to chronic or persistent pain, it’s a complex beast. (Have a read of my blog ‘Is the background noise too loud?’ to understand a bit more about the brain-pain connection.) The brain plays such a huge part in chronic pain that how you manage the pain must involve the brain as well. Last summer I participated in the Explain Pain course run by NOI Group. This taught me a lot about the science behind pain and options for how it can be managed. This quote really helped me to understand the brain’s part in pain experience.
“Imagine an orchestra in your brain. It plays all kinds of harmonious melodies, then pain comes along, and the different sections of the orchestra are reduced to a few pain tunes.” (Butler and G Lorimer Moseley, 2018)
One thing that can turn up the volume of pain is stress or negative psychological factors. To turn down the volume of pain, there needs a different (maybe better) tune to listen to. This is where mindfulness can help.
What is mindfulness?
“a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique” (Oxford Languages, 2024)
And how does it help?
By being mindful you are more self-aware. You can feel calmer, less stressed, and more able to choose how to respond to thoughts and feelings. It can help you cope with difficult or unhelpful thoughts and ultimately be kinder towards yourself.
When using mindfulness for managing chronic pain it is not about ignoring it, but in fact recognising it, accepting it and being present with it. Giving the brain confidence that there is no current threat to the tissues, while gently encouraging it to enable movement, without sending out more pain signals unnecessarily.
Meditating mindfully
Meditation and mindfulness go hand in hand. Meditating can be an effective way to become more present and notice your thoughts and feelings. Simply sitting with your breath and bringing focus to how you are feeling at that time is enough. Is there pain present, what does it feel like? Give it a name – tingling, hot, achy, sharp. Sometimes just that acknowledgement can help to ease the pain.
It might take a few goes to find your focus, or you may want to get some help guiding you through it, I’d be happy to have a chat about it with you. The main thing is, it doesn’t need to be complicated.
So, maybe just sits and thinks.
Helpful pages
Meditation and Sleep Made Simple – Headspace*
*Free in a variety of organisations including teachers, NHS and military personnel, so worth checking with your employer.
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