After the pain is gone….

There are so many people recovering every day from chronic pain conditions using mind-body tools, somatics and breathwork. I could not be happier that some doctors, therapists, and scientists now understand that there is an emotional component to healing and how the brain produces pain. 

One of the things we do not talk about, is life after the pain has gone. When we have chronic pain, all we can think about is when the pain is going to go away. We think about whether it is going to get worse. We say things to ourselves like “am I ever going to recover?” or “am I ever going to get better?” It is so hard not to think this way when the pain can be debilitating. It is so hard not to focus on the pain.

However, one thing that I do not hear people talk about is when the pain goes away. I know what you're thinking. All you need and want is for your pain to go away and life will be great. How could it not be, right? 

The problem lies in that all of the emotional challenges that you had, the fears that you faced, the dilemmas and conflicts you had will still be there. So I invite you if you are reading this and are suffering with a pain condition, see if you can address those issues now. Yes, I know it is hard! It is extremely hard when you are dealing with chronic pain. However, what if I told you that if you try and face these issues now, there might possibly be changes to your pain. So explore the emotional component. Face the fears. Conquer the dilemmas. 

On a recent trip, I saw a work of art made of broken pieces of glass to create a beautiful mosaic. As I looked at it, I started thinking about how we heal from our pain, by processing, resolving and settling our traumatic memories and wounds. I realized how important it is to continue to take care of this mosaic and even celebrate its beauty. It is the same thing as healing from chronic pain. Now that the chronic pain is gone, it is important to continue to use our newly found tools of self-care and emotional support while celebrating life.

I also want you to remember that you do not have to do it alone. Ask for support and guidance. Real strength in my eyes, is asking for help. We are not put on this earth to conquer things alone.

As I was healing, I decided to live my life even while I experienced pain. I knew I needed to change my life for the better so I adopted doing breathwork two times a day along with multiple other tools. I had not employed self-care practices till then so I decided it was the time to start.

Now my pain is no longer chronic. However, everyone has pain from time to time. I say this because pain is inevitable in life, but we do have the ability to ensure that our pain doesn’t last. Now that breathwork has become a part of my everyday life, I use breathwork to help me throughout my day in different situations. 

So when I am feeling fear, I employ simple and quick balancing breath practices to calm my nervous system down. When I am feeling a little sluggish or down, I can use an activating breath to get me going. If I find myself congested, I can do nose unblocking exercises. Everyday I do some form of conscious connected breathing as self-care and to aid me through my life journey.

So after I stopped having chronic pain, I had to face my fears, challenges, dilemmas and conflicts. They were all still there even after the pain had left. However, now I have a superpower to help me along the way. I might have used breathwork as a tool to alleviate my symptoms, but now it is a gift that I can use in every aspect of my life.