Troubles meditating - pain

[Ferro]

So, my problem is, It's very hard for me to meditate because the physical pain I feel.
I've suffered several severe injuries in my past (Spine, neck, broken leg...) and I still sometimes feel some residual pain. It's not limitating me in my day to day life much, but when I try to meditate, the pain almost always emerges after some time and prevents me from reaching meditative state. The "cure" for the pain is simple- I have to move just a bit and the pain is gone for a while. But the moment I move, it's all gone, I have to start over again. And the pain is just around the corner ready to strike again...

The only sullution my doctor offers is painkillers (the other would be some extensive surgery with uncertain outcome), but for several reasons I refuse to take them.

So, anyone have some advice for me?

[divineseeker]

Hello,
I am sorry to hear about your situation. Can you explain, how would you meditate usually? The postures and such.. Just to understand your routine?

[Lewk]

With a disclaimer upfront that I don't advise anyone to disregard professional medical advice...

If you find that while you are asleep your pain signals are less, or they disappear, then any of the below methods could work. (imho)

1. Self hypnosis - I used this very effectively with toothache. It took me just 2 sessions for the pain to be gone. Other new age / healing methods hadn't worked on it for me. Hypnosis was being used more and more in (Victorian?) England for pre-operation anaesthetics just prior to the introduction of chloroform, which led to its use being discontinued. It can be very effective.

The technique I used is in Self-Hypnosis: Effective Techniques for Everyday Problems (Paperback – July, 1995) by Elaine Sheehan. Still available from Amazon. I saw her do a talk on her book then bought it. And it worked, which is why I recommend it.

2. Grounding - the grounding method that was taught by Lewis Bostwick, founder of the Berkeley Psychic Institute, then Levanna Bdolak and others, is expounded on by Josh Schulz in The Grounding Book (paperback 2012). He advocates grounding a part of the body where there is pain. I think this might take a while to get into the technique and start getting results from. (It uses a grounding cord from the base chakra to the centre of the earth, if you know that method.) I would suggest get the book and follow the approach given there. May give some relief for some. Probably worth a try.

3. Love the pain - if you are still reading and haven't ignored this bit due to it sounding really stupid and hippy-dippy, there is an interesting twist on pain management here. So it is the distress our mind-body system is feeling that is really played about with, by a change of mindset.

If you are familiar with techniques of placing the mind in a part of the body, in order to absorb chi or vital energy into it, you may find this technique easier to practice. You can Be in the place where the pain is, or place your awareness there, or feel - use your sense of proprioception - that area and the pain. Then start loving the pain. You can use self talk like 'This pain is natural. There's nothing wrong with it. It's perfect. I love it." and so on, whatever works for you. Feel that you love it.

It would be best done as you are in a quiet meditative state. It can help bypass the resistance that we usually trigger when we get pain signals. It's shifting from resistance to acceptance. (A better description might be harmonising with the pain instead of fighting it. It can dissolve and help you go to a deeper meditative state.)

4. Breathe out the pain - if you are familiar with chi work, you might try breathing in healing chi (usually visualised as white light chi) into the affected area; hold the breath for a short count, then breathe out the stagnant / toxic / waste energy / pain from it, seeing it as a darkness leaving the body there.

I would suggest at least a few minutes of this. 10 or 20 minutes might be good. Don't hyperventilate, don't strain the breathing, as that can cause high blood pressure spikes.

Rather than leave the bad energy hanging around after you've breathed it out, you can just think of it being turned into divine light. Other versions of this I've seen just acknowledge that the energy will somehow be transmuted by natural processes. I like tidying up after myself.

If you're interested in chi healing there are a lot of extra possibilities which, by the sound of the condition you've described, might take investment of a lot of time but could possibly bring more comfort.

[Ferro]

Divineseeker: Well, I just sit on my bed with my legs bellow my body, hands crossed on my lap. (It's the posture I've learnt in my martial art lessons). I light a candle, then I concentrate on my breathing and try to clear my mind of thoughts.
That's just about the only thing I know about meditating, so I hope it answers your question...

Lewk: I'm not disregarding my doc's advices. I just can't take the painkillers for practical reasons (It could affect me while driving and this would mean danger for me and others.) and the doc is actually AGAINST the surgery, because there is a serious chance it would left me paralysed. It is just a last resort if the pain was too much.
As far as those techniques goes, I'll probably try the third and fourth. I understand what those techniques are meant to do and I've worked a little with my chi in the past, so I'll give it a try. The first two options are probably not for me, as I can't be hypnotized (several people claim that) and the other requires reading a book I can hardly get my hands on (not to mention in my native language).
Thank you wery much ;-)

[divineseeker]

Divineseeker: Well, I just sit on my bed with my legs bellow my body, hands crossed on my lap. (It's the posture I've learnt in my martial art lessons). I light a candle, then I concentrate on my breathing and try to clear my mind of thoughts.
That's just about the only thing I know about meditating, so I hope it answers your question...

Hello,
Yes it does answer my questions, I got a clear picture now.

Pain management seems what you need right now. I could understand your concerns on painkillers. I would suggest asking your doctor for some other options or complimentary therapy.

By the way, I was browsing the net and found this mindfulness meditation that you can try, if you want. https://youtu.be/3RNXvq3oCHA

[Lewk]

Lewk: I'm not disregarding my doc's advices. I just can't take the painkillers for practical reasons (It could affect me while driving and this would mean danger for me and others.) and the doc is actually AGAINST the surgery, because there is a serious chance it would left me paralysed. It is just a last resort if the pain was too much.

Sorry, that wasn't aimed at you, just a general disclaimer.

As far as those techniques goes, I'll probably try the third and fourth. I understand what those techniques are meant to do and I've worked a little with my chi in the past, so I'll give it a try. The first two options are probably not for me, as I can't be hypnotized (several people claim that) and the other requires reading a book I can hardly get my hands on (not to mention in my native language).
Thank you wery much ;-)

You're welcome. I wish you good luck with whatever you try as a solution.

The way I see self hypnosis...

It might help to realise that Self Hypnosis is not mind control, whether by another person or on yourself. It is simply a deep relaxation technique, in which we then use guided imagery to bypass our normal thinking conscious mind. That is how we can access our natural pain relief system.

The induction techniques vary but one is virtually identical to classic deep relaxation techniques. And to me the self hypnosis session journey is a little like a pathworking or even a shamanic journey or even doing affirmations well...or even like meditation.

Simply we're in a relaxed state. Calling it trance, which people do, is rather exotic but it is simply a way of taking oneself into a relaxed state, then using guided imagery that has a good track record for being effective.

For pain relief the one in the book I mention uses the image of walking inside a tube as the pain indicator gradually shows decreasing levels of pain. (In a nutshell.)

I think anyone who has difficulty relaxing might find this kind of self hypnosis worth investigating. Actually I worry that the name hypnosis might be a bit misleading as it conjures up all kinds of things to do with mind control over other people, rather than self healing while in a relaxed 'trance' like state.

[InfernalNachos]

My 2 cents for alternative pain management.

Magnets. A lot of pain is attributed to poor blood flow. There are a great deal of people who swear by magnets, and it is not limited to the world of the metaphysical believers. Scientific studies. I came across an interesting article in one of my news feeds that went on about going barefoot and the physical improvements it had on the human body. Earth's magnetic field is pretty big.

You know those electric personal massagers? Not the vibrating ones, but the ones with electrodes... yeah those. Used to have one and it was life altering. The basis I offer for that is that I've known several high line workers. The ones that did hot work (they worked on high voltage lines that were still energized). This one guy was in his 60s, looked like he was in his 40s, and worked like he was in his 20s to 30s. About a year after having stopped doing the hot work, he deteriorated pretty quickly.

I forget if I can link to outside studies or not, so I'm not gonna post the link for the barefoot (earthing) study that was done, but you can find several if you google "going barefoot magnetic field)

Oh and, that position you use, ain't the most comfy. Suggest making yourself more comfortable. Or... keep practicing. It will eventually get less painful, or your focus will improve so that you notice it less

[Ferro]

DivineSeeker: Thanks, I will try that.

InfernalNachos: Barefoot walking is out of question for me for two reasons- First I have to wear sturdy shoes all the time when outside (troubles with ankle ligaments after broken bones) and second I live in a big city and it would take me just a few steps outside before I step onto a piece of glass or used syringe.
And the position I use while meditating is actually one of the most comfortable I know. I'm known for irritating people with the way I sit- with one or both feet always under my (how is it said in non-rude way?) bottom? I find it the most comfortable way to sit, while others would get a cramp in the matter of seconds...

Lewk: I don't know. The way I see it while trying any kind of hypnosis, there's always one piece of my mind that is completely aware of my surroundings and things happening to me. The person can say thousand times "Focus only on my voice", but I just can't. That piece of mind always intervenes when I'm getting hypnotized and breaks the link.
It may be because I'm professional driver, so I'm trained to always have situational awareness, have my sight on the road and listen for the sound of engine, police sirens etc., while my main focus may be elsewhere at the moment. The same thing also keeps me awake and focused on driving while I'm dead tired, so I don't fall asleep behind the wheel.

[Ferro]

DivineSeeker: I tried the meditation and it works great on those "Little pains" I feel all around my body. They're gone (at least for now).
It doesn't work for the main pain I have (my neck), even though it feels dampened now, it's still there. That may be because it is not a chronical pain, the injury is still there (A slight shift of an intervertebral disc).
The good news is, that I was able to sit through the whole thing without having to move and the pain, though still present, felt manageable.

[divineseeker]

DivineSeeker: I tried the meditation and it works great on those "Little pains" I feel all around my body. They're gone (at least for now).
It doesn't work for the main pain I have (my neck), even though it feels dampened now, it's still there. That may be because it is not a chronical pain, the injury is still there (A slight shift of an intervertebral disc).
The good news is, that I was able to sit through the whole thing without having to move and the pain, though still present, felt manageable.

Hello,
I am very happy to read that some minor pains are manageable now. This shows you are good in your meditation and concentration.

You can explore and see what works for you in that youtube channel or anything else in youtube, as you are capable meditating well. Congrats and good luck.