Thoughts On Thinking
As a recreational runner, I have experienced the the tedium and discomfort of building up an endurance base. Runners, like everyone else, do not enjoy pain. So, we take measures to distract ourselves from the pain. This is one reason so many runners put on headphones and crank up their i-pods before hitting the road. People afflicted with chronic pain often try various means to distract themselves from their pain as well. These may include seemingly harmless strategies such as work, hobbies or video games. More destructive strategies might include smoking, over-eating, drug abuse or alcohol dependency. Each of these methods is an attempt to take the mind off the pain. While trying to ignore pain through distraction may be a good strategy for dealing with the temporary discomforts of exercise, it may not be the best strategy for dealing with chronic pain.
Lately, I have been doing a lot of reading about the clinical applications of “mindfulness”. Mindfulness is the antithesis of distraction. The practice of mindfulness involves focusing your attention on the here and now–experiencing the present moment completely, as it unfolds. For a person in pain, that means actually focusing on, rather than ignoring, the pain experience. When in a quiet, restful mode, allowing oneself to passively “observe” the pain can actually provide insight into gaining some measure of control and perspective over the condition. While exploring the location, quality, intensity and other aspects of the pain, the observing mind may achieve a certain independence from the pain itself. To discover that you are not your pain can be empowering even if this may only be a fleeting experience at first. Further, relaxed breathing and intentional focus can help the person in pain discover what sorts of positions, movements, activities or invading thoughts may influence the pain experience in a positive or negative direction.
In contrast to research on long-term use of pain medication, research on mindfulness approaches to chronic pain is very encouraging. Mindfulness strategies tend to result, not only in a lessening of pain over time, but also improvements in abilities to perform activities of daily living and engage in recreational activities. This is a much more desirable outcome to the alternative of achieving a temporary distraction from the intrusiveness of pain through more traditional avoidance methods. The word “rehabilitation” comes from a French verb “habiter”, which means “to dwell” or “to inhabit”. So, to rehabilitate is to re-inhabit the body. This is a profound concept that stands in sharp contrast to a view of chronic pain as part of a broken down body that should be ignored, numbed, or cut out of the body. Our bodies and our minds are incredibly complex and are designed to be fully engaged and working in harmony. For those afflicted with chronic pain, a mindfulness approach offers hope for a brighter future.
For further information on mindfulness, I can recommend the book: Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zin.