Yes, It is posssible to medidate while you are in pain using follwing methods.
Pain is not just a physical sensation. It is related to both the body and the mind.
According to the Harvard Medical School in the United States, the way in which pain is felt has to do with emotions, personality, lifestyle, genetics and previous experiences.
If the person has been exposed to pain for a long period of time, the brain may have changed to perceive signs of discomfort even when they are gone.
In the case of conditions such as fibromyalgia. According to the National Health Service of the United Kingdom, the main symptom is the widespread pain that can be felt throughout the body.
The discomfort is continuous: the sensations of pain, of being stabbed and burned are constantly present, although they may improve or worsen at different times.
Healthier alternative
One way to deal with chronic conditions, or almost any other type of physical ailment, is to modify the mental perception of pain .
This allows to increase the threshold of tolerance and, therefore, to diminish the need to resort to medicines that can generate secondary effects and even addiction.
This is why the Harvard Medical School recommends a series of mental techniques to help fight pain.
Several scientific studies show that these alternative therapies have been effective in relieving headaches, back pain and fibromyalgia.
1- Mindfulness, in English
“This technique basically involves concentrating on the present without making any judgment,” explains neurologist Sara Lazar, of the General Hospital of Massachusetts, in the USA.
For many, the first impulse in the face of pain is to try to “take it away” in any way.
In the case of mindfulness to control pain, however, what is sought is to approach the sensation and learn to know it by “observing” it objectively.
The idea is to focus on the instant you are in, avoiding past and future worries.
This is done by considering elements such as the following: where does what it feels start? Does it change as time goes by? How can you describe it?
2- Deep breathing
This technique is fundamental for the rest of the alternatives that can be used to help manage pain.
It consists of inhaling deeply for a few seconds and then exhaling.
Words or phrases can be used to help maintain concentration and rhythm of breathing.
For example, every time you inhale, you can say: “welcome relaxation”. As you exhale, “goodbye negativity.”
3- Meditation and visualization
In this case, the process begins with attention to breathing following the technique referred to above.
This is done in an atmosphere of total relaxation, without distracting stimuli or noise, with background music that invokes that feeling.
Additionally, we think of a place that is associated with tranquility, peace and pleasure. A beach, with the sound of the waves. Birds singing in a bucolic landscape.
If the mind is distracted and begins to think about other things, it brings back the image that evokes tranquility.
4- Concentration and positivism
Choosing an activity that you enjoy is another option. It can be anyone who generates taste and pleasure: reading poetry, hiking in green spaces, cooking, gardening.
The objective is to concentrate in an absolute way on what is being done and pay attention to the minimum details, noticing how the senses react and what are the sensations that they feel.
When the person is not well, he usually thinks only of what he can not do.
Directing that attention to what can be done helps stop thinking about pain. Keeping a journal and regularly writing down the reasons or things for which you are grateful is one way to do so, explains Harvard Medical School psychology professor Ellen Slawsby.
5 – Generate the relaxation response
It is the antidote to the stress that generates pain. It allows to control the increase in the heart beat and the reactions of the organism, which becomes alert when stressed.
In this case, the first thing is to close the eyes and relax all the muscles of the body.
Next, attention is paid to breathing. If the thoughts begin to appear, you have to resort to the word “recharge” to return to concentrate on breathing.
In this process, 10 to 20 minutes are spent. Subsequently, the return of thoughts is allowed. Finally, the eyes open.
