Pain and Concentration Meditations
With thoughtful awareness of our bodies, pain seems to have the loudest voice. Is that true for you, too?
I don't typically sit around thinking to myself or sharing with others, "wow, my shoulder feels strong and healthy today!" Yet we are acutely aware of what isn't working or feeling well. We feel it. We remind ourselves. We share our struggles.
It's certainly important to recognize when our body isn't quite right, so we can get the support and care we need. We can also use a body scan meditation to check in with each part of the body for a more complete, holistic understanding of how we're actually doing.
Here's something worth knowing: a 2024 brain imaging study found that mindfulness meditation was significantly more effective at reducing pain than a placebo, and that the brain's response to mindfulness was completely distinct from the placebo response. Compared to the placebo, Mindfulness meditation produced significantly greater reductions in pain intensity and pain unpleasantness.
(Zeidan et al., 2024, Journal of Pain — via UC San Diego)
And the effects can be lasting. Research by Jon Kabat-Zinn and colleagues found that mindfulness practice centered on body scan significantly reduced pain intensity, pain-related distress, and mood disturbance in people living with chronic pain, with those benefits holding up four years later.
(Kabat-Zinn et al., MBSR Chronic Pain Research)
Take knee pain, for example. When we're in pain, all of our attention tends to narrow toward the source of discomfort. This is especially true at night, when there are fewer distractions. We feel it. We focus on it. We struggle to sleep and continue to ruminate.
At that point, as long as we're not truly having a medical emergency, try a body scan meditation. During a body scan we bring sustained, kind attention to the body, one area at a time. We practice nonreactive awareness. We open up to noticing what feels relaxed and at ease, alongside what doesn't. The experience isn't to make the pain disappear. It's to widen the lens so pain isn't the only thing we notice.
Hit reply and let me know what you're noticing ;)
Warmly,
Julia
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