The Pain Podcast

When I was going through my own journey with chronic illness and pain, I was given a lot of well meaning advice, a lot of which was not helpful, and sometimes even harmful. Not because the advice itself was bad, but because I often ignored my own intuition and ignored what my body. I felt so out of control that I just wanted someone to tell me what to do. Now, I know that is something I never want to do to someone else. I want to empower people in their own decisions and wisdom, while also giving them a space and some tools to help them feel better while they are on their journey. For me, letting go of the goal of “getting better” was actually the thing that helped me heal. I allowed myself to feel wellness, even when I was sick. Having tools that gave me mental and emotional relief was also what helped me make better decisions about my health. These conversations are not about telling you what to do. They are just tools to find relief NOW. They are not the best all or the best. Just examples and guides. They helped me. Perhaps they might help you as well.

I want to give a little bit of context and background information about who I am, what I have been through, and why I am talking about pain in the way that I do.

The final episode in this series is focused on the pain itself. Using a visualisation technique that helps us see our pain differently, and find a feeling of relief with in the pain.

Finding thoughts that feel better around the subject of your body can be tough when you are in pain or ill. But when you take your attention away from the problem, and let yourself remember the myriad of things that ARE working well, you can find a tremendous amount of security and love, and mend the relationship between you and your body.

Finding a thought that feels better about your life around you. Looking for small moments of relief. Like the the comfort of a cup of tea out of your favourite mug. The softness of your bed. The joy of a great TV show. In this episode we zoom in to the life around you, and milk the better feeling thoughts you can find. The impact on your nervous system is immediate.

There is always a thought that feels better. You may not be able to find physical relief in this moment, but you can always find mental relief. Even if you have to take your focus away from your body, away from your life, away from yourself. This practice is an example of zooming out and finding something that brings you some small amount of relief.

The thoughts you think about your body and your pain are important. This is why.

A headache is one of those things that once it's with you, there's not a great deal you can do about it. I had a headache when I sat down to record a a new episode, so I walk through the very simple process that I do when there's nothing to be done about it. This is a live demo of me feeling my pain.

In the last two episodes I have spoken about the benefit of allowing yourself to feel your pain, without trying to fix it or push it away. This is an example of how that played out in a moment of pain in my own life.

The way you approach your pain plays a huge role in how it reacts. Just like a non-newtonian fluid, it hardens upon impact, but softens when touched gently.

Welcome to The Pain Podcast. In the first episode, we dive straight into it. If there was only one thing I could give you, it would be this: the opportunity to feel your pain, as it is right now, and allow it to be. For just a few moments, find peace with your body and your pain.