A recent survey of the UK population has found that a staggering 24% of people are living with chronic pain. Chronic pain is categorised as pain that has lasted for more than 3 months, and is a distressing and debilitating condition, with any number of causes.
As both Yoko and myself have, in the past, lived with chronic pain, and subsequently healed ourselves of it, I thought it would be a good topic to talk about, at a time when the incidence of pain appears to be on the increase.
The Conventional View
The allopathic (conventional) medical view of pain is that it is primarily caused by physical injury or health issues. This can include problems with the immune system and other issues within the physical body. In most cases these issues are measurable in the form of tissue damage, inflammation, cellular damage etc. The treatment usually involves the removal of damaged tissues or managing the pain through pain killers. The issue here, is that pain killers merely mask the pain, and don’t deal with the underlying symptoms. They can also be highly addictive - especially stronger, prescription pain medicines.
There are cases however, where there are no visible physical signs of what’s causing the pain, and in these cases doctors are at a loss to explain it. This is where conventional medicine can fall short in its diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain conditions, and it has everything to do with the way western medicine views the body.
The Holistic View
The holistic view is that the issue of is far more complex, and pain can be caused by a number of different factors. Diet is undoubtedly an issue, with mineral and vitamin deficiencies, as well as toxicity in the body caused by the over consumption of sugar and processed foods, playing a major part. However, while this can and should be addressed, there is another factor that causes pain and it is related to the way we think.
I find it slightly hypocritical that the news site where I initially read about the survey was full of headlines that can invoke feelings of fear, helplessness and negativity in the reader. Indeed, the vast majority of mainstream media appears to thrive on such stories, as they attract more views and traffic. There appears to be something in the general audience that is drawn to these stories, almost as though it is addicted to fear. Readers of such news stories tend to argue that it is important to be informed, but tuning into these fearful frequencies is very bad for the mind as well as the energetic and physical bodies. This is a primary reason why such news sources are incapable of giving true advice on how to transcend pain, as (at least in the short-term), avoiding the mainstream news is a very useful thing to do.
The truth is that the physical body responds to fearful thoughts in the form of tension and stress (stored energy), and when this energy is held within the body over a period of time, it can often manifest as physical pain. This in turn leads to depression, and becomes a cycle.
This is also the case with memories and thoughts. When we spend time thinking about the past (often playing negative stories and experiences through in our minds), it is as though we are reliving the event again and again. Conversely, when we project our thoughts into the future and imagine (often negative) outcomes, this creates stress and anxiety. The mind cannot tell the difference between something that is happening in reality and a thought, and when fear and negativity are not released the person becomes trapped in a kind of mental prison. This is a waking torment, where they are in a nightmare of their own creation. Once again, fear, negativity, helplessness etc. become stored in the body and not released. Over time, these trapped emotions can manifest as physical pain. What is causing the pain is trapped energy.
In many cases there is an initial traumatic experience that is held within the body. Countless beings have endured great suffering at the hands of others, and I’m certainly not dismissing this, but if the event is finished, why do we still carry the weight of it? Trauma can leave an imprint on the person, and it can appear to be difficult to release it, especially if the trauma was acute or happened when we were very young. On some level we often believe that holding on to this trauma will help us in some way. To protect ourselves, we build shields, and are mistrustful of others. All the time, the trauma is held within the body, and continues to cause pain.
Forgiveness
There is a reason why in every true spiritual teaching we are told to forgive. This is because whatever we hold on to will ultimately hurt us in some way. This is especially acute when it comes from negative past experiences, because we have internalised them, and made them into a part of our egoic identity. In reality though, even the most traumatic experience is only being kept alive by memory. As previously stated, these memories are stored in the body and held onto. In fact, this is true of everything that you believe, not just bad experiences and trauma. Imagine that every idea you have, or thought you hold onto, is like a physical object. Even if the object is very light, it still has some weight to it. Traumatic experiences are heavier and more burdensome than general ideas you may have about yourself, other people, and the world around you. Over time, all of this stuff begins to get more and more weighty.
There comes a time for some beings when they tire of the weight and burden of such suffering, and begin to awaken from the dream. When this happens, pain can also be transcended, as the dense energy of ego and past is released to your infinite joy. This is good news, and is the reason why, when we awaken, there is often much laughter as we realise that all of our suffering and pain never existed in the first place. It is as though we created it in order to experience the relief we feel when it is finally released.
The question is, are you ready to release your suffering?
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