Day 5

Introduction to Holistic Pain Care

Mindfulness and Pain?

You’ve learned a bit now about pain science, and you now understand that tissue damage and pain do not have a 1:1 relationship. Pain happens for complex reasons but we do know that chronic pain is supported by changes in the nervous system and in the brain. Both of these factors appear to be very positively influenced by mindfulness and meditation practices.

Mindfulness is emerging as an important tool for those with persistent pain. It can help to reduce pain and it really helps with the distress associated with pain. Not many medical approaches can show data as positive as mindfulness actually. Here’s a quick article about Mindfulness for Pain Relief

But mindfulness is a tall order for those of us who have busy minds or are in pain. So I’ve included this gem of a meditation in your mini course. This is one of my favorites and I learned it first from Shinzen Young, a Western meditation teacher who works with those living with chronic pain. It is very approachable and a great beginning to your own mindfulness practice. 

By the way, I give this one to most of my clients because it is so helpful.