How can we use our pain as our teacher?
In many of my Sedona soul retreats, my clients complain about habitual pain they’ve experienced in their bodies. No matter what they do they can’t seem to rid themselves of it.
First, just knowing that pain comes and goes, to acknowledge its impermanent nature is helpful. Most people will feel pain at some time in their life, but it is important not to allow pain to define our sense of who we are to the point where it unnecessarily affects our well being. However, in the midst of consistent pain, this may prove to be a difficult task.
I remember when I suffered with an illness and was in pain for about two years; the pain became a part of who I was. I talked about my pain a lot and really believed it was here to stay. When it finally dissipated I was shocked and so relieved. Now when pain comes into my life, I don’t feed it the extra energy that allows it to become the primary thing that defines me. I look at my underlying feelings around the pain and view it as a teacher with lessons to offer.
My body, stomach issues, eye sight, and teeth have all been great teachers for me. When I don’t become solely fixated on the physical pain of an illness, there is a great opportunity for me to connect more deeply with myself. Sometime this isn’t easy at all. Oftentimes, we try to rid ourselves of the pain without acknowledging the connection between physical pain and our emotional body. Perhaps this is because the deep-rooted emotions and traumas within us can oftentimes be more troubling to face than the physical pain itself.
When we treat pain only as a backache, crones, arthritis, etc., we are dealing with half of the problem. Over the course of those two years, the main feelings that came up for me were, “I’m all alone in this and nobody loves me.” This is what my Ego-mind was telling me. It is interesting how physical pain could trigger such core wounding for me. Pain usually does refer us to wounding that is dormant within us, so be aware of this connection when looking at what your Ego mind is saying about the pain.
It is critical to go beyond our surface-level mindless chatter that upholds the notion that our pain is solidified and unchanging, that it is now who we are, and we cannot change it. By seeing the physical connection to our emotions and past wounding, we can begin to work with the full scope of our pain and have control over it, rather than allowing it to continue to control our sense of self and purpose.
I have worked with many people in my personal retreats that have had chronic pain, to find that when they connect into their emotional triggers, the pain lessens. If you are continually connecting with the same patterns around your pain, move into what the pain is actually saying and know that the message the Ego mind is delivering isn’t the truth and the pain is impermanent.
What does your pain say? Think about it and let me know.
