Isn’t that the million-dollar question! Anyone with recurring or chronic pain wants nothing more than to find that ‘magic thing’ that takes away all discomfort and hurt. Now, mindfulness isn’t that but that doesn’t mean it can’t help.
Mindfulness is “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment.” – Dr John Kabat-Zinn
I’ve highlighted non-judgmentally because that part is incredibly important (and hard.)
Mindfulness has its roots in ancient Buddhist philosophy and over the last century has spread right round the world. It has been studied in depth and the results are clear and impressive. A regular practice causes physical changes in the brain; both in helping rewire neural pathways but also shrinking areas of the brain associated with stress (like the amygdala) and increasing activation in areas responsible for emotional regulation, high order cognitive processes and memory (like the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.)
Mindfulness interrupts the negative stress cycle; it helps you to notice your automatic thoughts and switch off auto pilot mode. To stop fighting the pain and accept it. This sounds counter intuitive but is truly powerful as it reduces the fear and anxiety around the experience of pain.
Whilst meditation practices often involve sitting still in a quiet room for long chunks of time, you don’t need to do that to bring mindfulness into your everyday life. A very simple and quick exercise is the STOP technique:
S – Stop for a moment and pause
T– Take 3-5 slow, deep and long breaths
O– Observe thoughts, emotions and body sensations
P – Proceed mindfully with your day, without judging the above
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf” – Dr John Kabat-Zinn
If you are interested in learning more about mindfulness and if it could be a good fit for you, please chat to me about it in our next appointment.
