Mindfulness and Chronic Pain Discussion

Mindfulness and Chronic Pain

People with pain struggle far too often to validate their pain. Physical pain brings life to a screeching halt and prevents us from going about our daily lives or making future plans. It is the physical pain that is the root cause and controlling factor—pain and nothing else. Right? Certainly pain has an impact on our physical being. We struggle to complete the simplest of tasks, hampered by a reduced energy level that is limited to small bursts of time, sometimes not more than a few minutes. We hesitate to plan for tomorrow, let alone the future. Activities with friends and family diminish and far too often disappear as we find ourselves isolated and alone . . . and in pain. It is the pain that restricts our abilities to fully enjoy our day.

Mindfulness is paying attention to something on purpose and with fresh eyes. This is why mindfulness is so helpful. Instead of focusing on how badly we want the pain to stop, we pay attention to our pain with curiosity and without judgment.

This approach is very different from what our brains naturally do when we experience the physiological sensation of pain. Our minds typically launch into a litany of judgments and negative thoughts. We start ruminating about how much we hate the pain and want to wish it away. We judge the pain, and that only makes it worse. In fact, our negative thoughts and judgments not only exacerbate the pain, they also fuel anxiety and depression. What also makes matters worse is that our minds start brainstorming ways to soothe the pain. If our pain is so high and our mind is thinking weird thoughts, it just keeps bouncing off the edges. Our brains do the same with scouring for solutions. This creates a lot of frustration, stress and feeling trapped.

Mindfulness teaches people with chronic pain to be curious about the intensity of their pain, instead of letting their minds jump into thoughts like This is awful, also teaches individuals to let go of goals and expectations. When you expect something will ease your pain, and it doesnt or not as much as youd like, your mind goes into alarm- or solution-mode, he said. You start thinking thoughts like nothing ever works.

What we want to do as best as we can is to engage with the pain just as it is. Its not about achieving a certain goal – like minimizing pain – but learning to relate to your pain differently. It is called learning mindset, as opposed to an achievement-oriented mindset. In other words, as youre applying mindfulness to your pain, you might consider your experience, and ask yourself: What can I learn about this pain? What do I notice?

Mindful Approaches to Cope with Chronic Pain

Conduct a body scan. This mindfulness technique involves bringing awareness to each body part. As you start purposely paying attention, you teach your brain that it is OK to be with what is there. It raises your awareness of what is.

To experience a simple body scan, follow these steps:

Get as comfortable as possible and close your eyes.

Take a few deep breaths and bring your awareness to the sensation of your breath moving in and out of your body. Notice the movements your body makes as the breath flows in and out.

Next, bring your attention to an area of your body that is free of pain. Examine the pleasant, relaxed, or neutral feeling you find there. Allow your attention to stay with this area for a few moments and then relax that area completely.

Next, bring your attention to an area of pain or discomfort. What do you notice there? What is the pain like—sharp, burning, stabbing, clenching? What is your experience in this area from moment to moment? Become a curious observer of your bodily sensations and also notice your attitude and thoughts toward them without judgment.

Breathe into any discomfort and allow yourself to let go of it and relax.

When you are ready, return your attention to your whole body and the sensation of the breath. Feel yourself fully present and aware in this moment.

This practice allows your body and brain to let go of tension, stress, and obsession with suffering. As muscles relax, the nerve impulses traveling to and from them decrease, allowing the brain to calm down. This process shifts the entire nervous system toward relaxation, helping both the body and mind release attachment to suffering.

2. Practice mindful breathing. The breath is a beautiful tool that is free and always with you, requires no equipment, and can be used simply to improve your health. Regularly practicing mindful breathing can be both calming and energizing. You can control your breath and use it to reduce stress, change your relationship with pain, and achieve a relaxed state.

The breath is a valuable tool for bringing you back into the present moment and grounding you. Simply slowing down the breath and beginning to pay attention to its movement in and out gives the brain a chance to break free from the automatic thoughts and judgments that it jumps to when you get caught up in pain and suffering.

I found on google and used this link for a lot of mindfulness and chronic pain exercises. Please read this and see if anything works for you.

https://mrsmindfulness.com/mindfulness-meditation-for-pain-relief-in-simple-5-steps/

Discussion Questions:

Welcome to our discussion on Mindfulness and Chronic Pain. Were glad to have you! During this discussion we will discuss lots of things to do with being awesome and how to handle chronic pain. Please remember to be kind and supportive to other awesome people in the group. If you need more support during this time, please connect 1-1 with a listener or try another support room.

Let's start this discussion with an ice-breaker. If you could have 3 wishes what would they be?

Before we get into our discussion Id like to check in with everyone on how they are feeling. On a scale from 0-10 how would you rate how you are feeling? Can you explain why you feel this way?

So this discussion is on Mindfulness and Chronic pain. Can you describe what is mindfulness? B) Can you describe what chronic pain means to you?

Now we know what is mindfulness as well as chronic pain, how do you think mindfulness can be of some help to you when you are having a rough day dealing with pain?

Living with chronic pain is very hard. It limits our daily responsibilities and things that we like to do. What are some areas in life where chronic pain limits you?

Mindfulness exercises can help with chronic pain a lot. Can you share some mindfulness methods that can help you manage your pain throughout your day? B) Is there anything that you already do?

As we all know dealing with pain is not something we enjoy and can make our emotions and moods flare. How do you think practicing mindfulness can help your mood and thoughts stay focused more?

We have shared many ideas on mindfulness exercises that can help us better manage chronic pain. Is there anything here that you may try and start?

Before we end this discussion, Id like to check in how people are feeling and thinking now. Can you share on a scale from 0-10 on how you are and why?

Here are some helpful mindfulness exercise videos that might help

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLQJJDrbj6Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVwLjC5etEQ