Understanding Pain

Here is a short 5-minute video that was designed to aid the public in better understanding current pain science:

Also, for the more scientific minded, this recent podcast with pain scientist Lorimer Moseley discusses a number of important concepts in pain research and recovering from chronic pain. He discusses a helpful tagline: “Rethink, reengage, recover…”
Lorimer also encourages a focus on these three practical questions?
  1. How do I know if my pain system is being over protective?
  2. What can I do to retrain my pain system to be less protective?
  3. Am I safe to move?
In addition, I would encourage exploring the following:
  • Can I move away from “Why is this happening?” towards “What can I learn from this experience?”
  • What do I need to feel safe in relation to my pain experience, as well as all other areas of my life experience?
  • How can I feel more nurtured and more empowered at the same time, in relationship to what is happening?
  • What would it be like to view pain as universal instead of personal?
  • How can I lessen aversion, avoidance, or resistance to what is happening?
  • Does the teaching that suffering comes equally from an attachment to feeling good as it does from our aversion/resistance to discomfort, help me understand my relationship to pain?
  • And finally, can I see pain as a catalyst that:
    a) inspires me to look for answers
    b) is a seed for compassion
    c) increases my interest in not doing things that sow the seeds of suffering – in other words: helps me want to avoid patterns, beliefs, choices, etc. that contribute to it?

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