Dealing with Physical Pain

[Stranger]

Chronic pain is a prevalent and potentially debilitating condition.  Carla dealt with it for much of her life, and few people have the natural grace to do that as well as she.  

Although not in pain myself, I have recently asked for and received some very clear spiritual guidance on how to deal with pain, and wanted to share it with you - for yourself or someone you know.

This technique works by transforming how your brain interprets signals from your nervous system: what was once perceived as an alarm, can become a more gentle signal.

Method: Focus internally on the pain, and allow the pain to wash over you in waves, like the ocean, while remaining perfectly still and centered emotionally.  "Relaxed" is somewhat of a misnomer for the state involved, but more composed as opposed to panicky, frantic or desperate to do something about it.  

One way to achieve this calm and centered state is to allow yourself to become gently curious about the quality of the pain, as opposed to emotionally intense about it.  (Clearly, having a sound foundation in a mindfulness practice will be helpful).

Doing this in 15 minute intervals, then getting up and moving around and focusing on something else is advised.

As you are able to relax and allow the pain to wash over you, the aversive quality of the pain will diminish as the brain retunes itself to accept the signal as normative, as opposed to disordered, or as signaling indicative of a problem.  

The consequence is that the pain becomes less of a bother and you will be able to experience the pain, but not be so strongly impacted by that experience.  Instead of being highly disruptive, it could become just a nuisance - more like an itch than pain.

How does this work?

When we focus a calm and welcoming mind on a sensory experience, we are transforming its meaning at the physiological level within the brain matrix.  We are saying that this is no longer an aversive experience -- this is an interesting experience.  Circuits associated with interest and curiosity, rather than circuits associated with danger, avoidance and fear, become active.  The more you pursue this approach toward pain, the more the quality of the pain will be transformed.

[JayCee]

Yes.
What I found helpful is also to breathe into the area of pain. Because often when we are in much pain, our breathing becomes very shallow.
Great sages like Ramana Maharshi were so disidentified with their body-mind complex that they would not even need anaesthetics when having surgery.
Apparently the experience of pain is more of a mental state -if, like Ramana or Nisargadatta, you know that you are not this body-mind, then why bother? There is pain, there may be pain but you are not that, it does not concern you, the real you.
The other night I woke with abdominal cramps, I sometimes get those as part of my physical vehicle and I was so sleepy and just chose to disregard them... they were still there but somewhere "in the back", if that makes sense. Like in a more remote corner of my room.
And I went back to sleep.

[Sprout]

Just want to add regarding what JayCee said, if I'd have pain and at the same time I slip into fear that "whatever pains me at the moment" might get worse or damage me, just this thought alone increases the pain load.

[rva_jeremy]

I find that a lot of suffering and discontent comes from the fear of pain and the fear of feeling it fully. I'm trying to "lean into the sharp edges" and see pain as a teacher. That said, I'm practicing with very minor pains and discomfort and I can't imagine what some people go through.

Given that we tend to have this avoidance mechanism around pain, it's weird that the Confederation cites it as such an important teacher.

[Vladislav]

My method of dealing with pain is to understand that pain is some energy. And Creator has only love energy with no mean to harm us. Thinking deeply about that makes pain magically not feeling uncomfortable. I steel feel it, but it is not felt like somtheing inappropriate.

[Eddie]

This technique works by transforming how your brain interprets signals from your nervous system: what was once perceived as an alarm, can become a more gentle signal.

Method: Focus internally on the pain, and allow the pain to wash over you in waves, like the ocean, while remaining perfectly still and centered emotionally.  "Relaxed" is somewhat of a misnomer for the state involved, but more composed as opposed to panicky, frantic or desperate to do something about it.  

One way to achieve this calm and centered state is to allow yourself to become gently curious about the quality of the pain, as opposed to emotionally intense about it.  (Clearly, having a sound foundation in a mindfulness practice will be helpful).

Doing this in 15 minute intervals, then getting up and moving around and focusing on something else is advised.

I suffer from chronic arthritis pain in my right knee (and less frequently, in other joints).  Sometimes it keeps me awake all night.  I've tried the above technique myself (it occurred independently to me, to try just the thing you recommend).  Trust me, it does not work.  

Things that do help (temporary relief, but it's better than nothing):
Sunbathing (I have much less discomfort in the summer)
Yoga and other stretching
Dimethyl Sulfoxide
Practicing the Egyptian Postures of Power

Conventional pharmaceutical medicines don't help; they all have deleterious side effects, and cause more harm than good.

[CurtisUSA]

Sometimes when Ive had aches and pains I just make dietary adjustments and it always works, acid forming foods can cause the body alot of issues and often times occurs slowly.
Sometimes just eliminate certain foods, other times eat way less and then occasionally if its severe I just do a water fast of 1 day or longer and rest alot and do nothing.

[Coordinate_Apotheosis]

Was gonna say, Yoga is known to change how the brain interprets pain, it eases pain.

I however do not remember specifically why though.

[loostudent]

There is great potential in mind, body and loving support from others in dealing with pain. That's why the placebo effect is so successful for pain. If only we would believe in mental and spiritual healing as much as we believe in the power of drugs.

[Diana]

I think inertia is a factor in pain. We have the tendency to continue in a certain state when in that state. If focus can be changed, by something strong enough, then the state may lose momentum. Losing momentum, with the focus on something else, may be enough to take some of the power and control from that which is manifesting the pain, and allow the body enough rest, from loosening the grip and tension from the pain, to balance.

[Cainite]

I got rid of sciatic pain. it was traveling through the nerves of my body for two/three days. I could barely walk. now it's gone.

What I did was starting to not look at it as something undesirable. I felt like my higherself expects a lot of me because he knows I can handle it. that somehow gives one hope.. and yeah.. not abandoning hope in situations that seem hopeless in the illusion.

Pain can come back at any time though. I should remember that!

[Stranger]

Yesterday I came across a quote (Ra or Quo) stating that prior to veiling, 3rd density entities were able to control their heart rate and the intensity of pain.  Since all boundaries are illusory and permeable by design, I figured that there must still be a way to use the same pre-veiling mechanism to control pain - but it'll just be more difficult to access.  I decided to ask one of my trusted guides about this.

The virtually unedited transcript follows.

======================

I read that prior to the veil, it was possible to intentionally control pain levels.  Is that correct?

Indeed it is.  Proceed.

I understand that there are no true barriers, veil or not.  So my question is: how can a person access that inside them which allows pain levels to be controlled?


Another excellent question and well put, [Stranger]!  Let's proceed.

Pain is a somewhat complex topic, as it concerns the coordination of multiple systems in the spirit-mind-body complex, as I see it.  Therefore there is no single "mechanism" through which it can be regulated; indeed, in the past prior to what you refer to as veiling, multiple complex steps were necessary to change the level of experienced pain.  I will describe them to you now.  Are you ready?

Yes I am.

Very well, I shall proceed.  

First: pain is not a categorical, all-or-none stimulus.  It consists of overlapping gradations of impulse, interpreted by the Mind and delivered to Conscious Awareness.  There are several places where the signal is processed and can be changed with success.

The first of these I described to you already:  willingness.  Willingness to experience the pain decreases its intensity, making it a nuisance rather than a panic-inducing alarm.  That is entirely correct and the truth.

Therefore if you can teach your people you work with willingness to have pain, their experience of it will change.

Next:  when pain is particularly intense, the body becomes habituated to a particular adrenaline-soaked state; that is the truth.  Sweats, chills, fevers, etc. come from this; the shaking you've witnessed is another sign.

When this occurs, the body can be told to downregulate the pain response as opposed to the pain signal.  By this I refer to these observable reactions to pain.  

You ask why a person you work with would want to downregulate these symptoms - and the answer is that they, in and of themselves, can be distressing to the person you work with and those around him or her.  There is no other reason.  

To achieve this, focusing on the body as a whole; loving and thanking the body for its service; and letting the body know that you are here to hold it and love it in its hour of suffering is all that is needed.  Calm your animal Self.  It's that simple; focusing on the animal vs emotions or thoughts or feelings is essential here.  Focus on the animal - the organs, the cells, the consciousness of the animal who has no clue why whatever is occurring is occurring.  And love it into calmness in the face of physical pain.  Does that help?

Yes.  Thank you.

Next. let's focus on the emotional component of pain.  There is no simple fix here, I am afraid.  Prior to the Veiling, as you call it, it had been much easier to know that all that occurs is part of a Grand Plan, and nothing was intended to hurt or harm any part of Creation; this enabled a type of trust that is now dearly bought among your people, that is the truth.  

As a result, there became no way to "fix", so to speak, one's emotions with that foundational Stone upon which the effort would have supported itself - the Stone of Faith - now removed into a possible belief system.  Therefore pain can be perceived much more willingly as the enemy, the disaster, the hurtful and dangerous attacker.  That is the truth and do not doubt your excellent transcription of my thoughts.

So the emotional component of pain is particularly pernicious, as you saw with [a person you worked with] the other day when she could no longer brush her hair - yet saw no reason for that to be the case, except to produce suffering; when, in reality, she HAD SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED, prior to her current incarnation, that HER BODY BEGIN TO DETERIORATE PRECISELY TO THIS POINT OF DISABILITY in order to enable her to experience this and develop a greater degree of empathy than that which she had previously been able to acquire.  So despite the lesson being learned AS INTENDED, there is also unnecessary suffering in her current experience, and there is no easy remedy for this, [Stranger], that is the truth.

You cannot tell her that this is meant to be; it shall be taken as offensive and insensitive.

You CAN tell her that she is loved by God, which is true but not especially helpful.

So you are stuck in that regard, and I truly do not have anything more to offer you.  Do you understand?

yes I do; and again and again I thank you for your insights.  

What about Dolores Cannon's method of allowing the individual to access their deeper Knowledge, which includes the causes and origins of their suffering?


That approach, although valid and somewhat effective, presupposes a particular understanding of Reality which most people on your planet aren't equipped to handle - as you clearly saw with [another person you worked with], when he freaked out and became ill for weeks following your encounter.  That was not your fault entirely, by the way; his Higher Self decided that he had been ready to witness what he had seen, and it erred in this.  No matter and he is fine; but the purpose of bringing him up is this: you are suggesting exposing people to Spiritual Truths about themselves; yet their belief systems, deeply entrenched, are often at odds with Truth - not surprising given the circumstances you see around you, is it?  No, I didn't think so.   Point being that there truly is no way to ease or, rather, eliminate emotional distress when it comes to chronic pain, and that is a tragedy, and that is the truth.

What else can I tell you?

Is there a way to downregulate the actual pain signal, mute it the way I've been muting painful emotions?

Excellent question, and there is.  The process is as follows: simply ask the person you work with to step out of their body entirely - not just their feelings, but all their sensations, etc.; abandon the body completely and walk out into bright joyful sunlight.  Try it now while I wait.

(I try and don't succeed)

[Stranger], you are struggling - and not because you're tired, but because you don't understand one simple concept.  YOU ARE NOT YOUR BODY AND YOUR ARE NOT TRAPPED IN YOUR BODY.  You can leave it any time you want simply by asking to do so.  Try it again and let's see how you do.

(I try and imagine myself walking out of the room, sans my body, into the hallway, etc.; but I don't quite feel separate from the sensations of the body).

Can you help me understand how to do so?

Yes, [Stranger], and by the way your most recent effort went well.  You were entering "a dream-like state" which is exactly what I intended to convey by stepping out of your body and into the lower Astral, where duplicates (more or less) of the objects you experience daily around you are contained.  Let's see if we can improve on your last effort.

Close your eyes and imagine yourself packing a light lunch and going for a walk.  You unzip your physical body and step out of it, becoming pure Light - glowing from within a color or color spectrum of your choice.  You then step on an invisible staircase and begin to ascend, up, up, up the stairs toward the blindingly bright Sun just above, almost within hand reach.  You joyfully continue to ascend, and as the sun begins to fascinate you at a very deep and profound level, the rest of "reality" begins to fade out of mind into unimportance.

Try this now.  You will enjoy the exercise!
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[kristina]

Pain can be distorted light from trauma. It can be a preincarnate choice as in Carla.
Those of us who are born with a chronic condition have sought much help possibly from others such a Reiki healers and even the medical professionals. Sometimes, unfortunately there is little that can be done. It is most distracting and it brings up such emotions as worthlessness, anger, nervousness and fear. I have, in the past, contemplated suicide. I won't go into that as it's far too personal. Nonetheless, I have been able to continually serve through the distraction of chronic pain due to illness within my body from birth. It has taught me much about myself, my will and the available help from the other side. The biggest help I have found is meditation, staying active with knowing limitations of your personal body complex and giving constant praise to The Creator. There may not be a way out and there may be multiple understandings of why it occurs but nothing helps more than the understanding of the love for self and others that including the love for The One. Our purpose is to seek through the limitations and distractions. That's the awakening. The pain is the reminder to continually seek.