Listen:

Watch:

Read:
Today, we’re going to explore the role of mindfulness in pain management.
I feel it’s important to properly frame this discussion right from the start. I’m about to tell you that pain and suffering are two distinct phenomena, and that it is possible to experience pain without suffering. I want to be clear, though: In no way am I suggesting that your pain is all in your head, or that mindfulness practice will cure your pain. I am not trivializing the pain you may be experiencing, either. Pain can be significant and debilitating. It can cause you to be unable to fully engage with life, and it can be burdensome not just to those who experience it, but to their friends and family members, too.
So, what am I attempting to do in this episode? I want to show you how mindfulness practice can help you handle pain, and I’m going to use some personal examples to illustrate my points. My examples may not measure up to your own experience, but they’re meant as illustrations, not comparisons. The only way to determine whether mindfulness will be helpful to you is to try it for yourself.
The other point I want to make up front is that you should not use mindfulness as a substitute for medical care. If you experience pain, seek medical attention to determine the underlying causes and explore treatment options, then use mindfulness as part of a pain management plan.
Okay, that’s the caveats taken care of. Let’s talk about mindful pain management.
Pain typically involves two types of adversity. First there is the pain itself. Second is the suffering that we inadvertently heap on top of the pain. Feelings of throbbing, stabbing, burning, stinging, etc. are the raw sensations of pain. They range from mild to excruciating, but they’re always unpleasant. Typically, though, we add suffering to the mix in the form of our reactions to the pain. These reactions are wide ranging and include such things as worrying about whether the pain signifies a life-threatening condition, wallowing in self-pity, feeling discouraged about the future, disengaging from activities and people, denying the causes of the pain, or feeling depressed, bitter, angry, and so much more. The reactions cause suffering, and sometimes exacerbate pain, too, because they cause the body to tense up.
Pain and the suffering caused by our reactions to pain don’t have to run together. Let me give you an example. I have chronic foot pain that is sometimes reasonably strong and can inhibit my ability to walk. It took a long time to get a diagnosis, because my doctor was focused only on treating the pain. After a couple of years, I finally convinced him to do some testing and discovered that I’ve got several sprained ligaments in both feet. The doctor told me they won’t heal, but again offered my pain relief, which I again refused. 
He’s quite confused about my “stubbornness” when it comes to pain relief, but I tried to explain to him that much as I don’t enjoy experiencing pain, it isn’t causing me to suffer and no pain relief is necessary. It’s not that I’m trying to be stoic or ignore the pain, but through the application of mindfulness, I am able to experience the pain and let go of any suffering it might otherwise cause me, and mindfulness is helping me make peace with the fact that some days, I cannot go for a walk.
To be clear, I am not suggesting that you should forgo medication or other pain relief methods. If my foot pain gets worse, I will likely take my doctor up on the offer of meds. I’m simply saying that my mindfulness practice has allowed me to handle my current level of pain without the need ...