The Paradox of Pain
Let’s do an experiment, play along with me, close your eyes, relax, take a deep breath, sense your body for a few seconds, let everything be still….
Say the word “PAIN” out loud to yourself, maybe a few times. What is your reaction? What happens for you emotionally, physically, etc…? Do you cringe or tense up somewhere? Do you get spacey, bored, ready for something more entertaining to read or do? Just see what you notice … What is your immediate reaction to this word?
It’s important to get familiar with our reactions to pain, be it physical or emotional. We all have a vast repertoire of tricks and tools to avoid, repress and deny our pain. What’s yours? Do you reach for some kind of instant gratification? Do you not want to be ALONE with your pain so you think of someone to call or talk to? Do you want to distract yourself, turn on the tv, go out shopping, go to the gym? It’s just good to know “What do I do when I’m in pain?”
There are multi-billion dollar industries out there ready and willing to help you NOT FEEL YOUR PAIN. The pharmaceutical industry comes to mind. They’ve got more tricks than the average street corner drug pusher. For emotional and mental pain we have a wide selection, i.e. - Prozac, Zoloft or whatever, for physical pain there are a plethora of choices as well. I am not advocating suffering here, and I am not saying the use of those drugs is BAD, I just think it is being abused. We are enabling each other to NOT FEEL OUR PAIN, just go to a shrink and get some Prozac, how hard is it these days to get a prescription for that?
The paradox of pain, is that for most of us, it is the place we avoid the most yet it also happens to be the centerpoint of our own salvation.
Maybe you have heard the famous quote - “If you bring forth what is inside of you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is inside of you, what is inside of you will destroy you”
To bring forth what is inside us, we usually are required to go through some layer/s of pain. As they say, the pearl beyond price is found in the jaws of the dragon. But this journey is the only one I know of that is really worth taking in life, one could call it the journey from here to here. We can start with baby steps.
For example, if you are a pain avoider like 99.99% of your fellow humans, on occasion, if you are feeling depressed or sad or angry or worried or anxious, try for 1 minute to just sip on your pain a bit. Feel it as PHYSICAL SENSATION in your body, even if it is emotional pain. Especially don’t buy into the “story” behind it for this 1 minute, try to feel it as pure phenomenon, pay attention to WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING for this 1 minute.
Congratulations, for 1 minute, you did not avoid, repress or deny your pain. This might be a first for some of you, and if so, know that this is one small step in the right direction, because the only way OUT is THROUGH. Let me know if you’d like to explore taking more steps on this hero’s journey.
Many more words to come on this my friends … Until We Meet Again…