| None of us wants to live a life filled with | | | | may not be immediate, but eventually you will |
| pain, but logically, we know that probably | | | | arrive at a new awareness. Simply-- lose the |
| some pain will come. How much pain? To what | | | | fear and expect the blessing. |
| extent? Those are haunting questions. If we | | | | |
| realize that we do have some control over | | | | 3. Decide to live in "peace" in whatever |
| pain, that may make the experience feel less | | | | state you find yourself. Living in peace with |
| scary. I speak of these things because I | | | | pain takes away its power. You will be able |
| lived for 15 years in extreme pain (from | | | | to exert more control over how it affects |
| Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and | | | | your life. |
| other symptoms of Lupus, Lyme, Arthritis and | | | | |
| autoimmune diseases). I'm well now and | | | | Few of us are monks or claim kin to the |
| counsel people everyday on how to heal from | | | | lineage of Sister Teresa, but many times |
| devastating health problems. | | | | "saintly", more spirit-connected people have |
| | | | the right idea of how to approach life. If we |
| 1. Pain-- constant, terrifying pain-- can | | | | simplify our lives and live in peace, there |
| feel like you're living inside the | | | | are great lessons to be learned. But us being |
| impenetrable walls of hell on earth. "Don't | | | | happy "where" we are and living in pain? Know |
| let that be the case." | | | | that we can experience this overwhelmingly |
| | | | expansive and important concept of human |
| You might think that statement sounds | | | | nature. |
| flippant; not so. Much of the reality of pain | | | | |
| is manifested in your thoughts about the | | | | God created us to live full lives during |
| sensation. Pain is not just present in the | | | | which we constantly change and become more |
| body; it is a perception processed by the | | | | conscious individuals. Therefore, much of our |
| body/mind. Except for the originating pain | | | | time on Earth has to be spent learning the |
| signal in your stubbed toe or broken finger, | | | | lessons we're meant to learn. |
| the perception of pain is all in the mind. | | | | |
| | | | 4. If you give in to sappy emotions and feel |
| Note: All sensations (good or bad) are stored | | | | sorry for yourself, your emotions dip down |
| as bio-electric memories in every cell of the | | | | into the negative range where "fear" resides. |
| body. Your body is your mind. Check out | | | | |
| Candace Pert's work, Molecules of Emotion or | | | | According to the work of Dr. David Hawkins of |
| Cinda Crawford's new release From the Floor | | | | Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of |
| Looking Up which is referenced at the website | | | | Human Behavior, there are only two basic |
| of the listing below. | | | | emotions: Love and Fear. Love is a higher |
| | | | vibrating force than fear. If we live in love |
| Pain in and of itself is not dangerous. It | | | | and acceptance, we will live healthier lives |
| may feel threatening, but to be in a state of | | | | that have a better chance at complete |
| pain is not dangerous (unless the body/mind | | | | healing. (Hint: We all know instinctively |
| really believes that it will die). Pain is | | | | where fear resides.) |
| the body's signal indicating, "something is | | | | |
| wrong." The body responds to the perceived | | | | Shame comes in at the lowest level with a |
| pain/ discomfort stimulus by getting your | | | | score of 20 logs (logarithmic progression). |
| attention. Pain either indicates that | | | | Guilt at 30 logs, anxiety at 50 logs, grief |
| something is slightly amiss (a strong hint) | | | | at 75 logs and fear (itself) at 100 logs. |
| or that "you" may be in real danger (Stop-- | | | | Once energy rises above "fear," there is |
| I'm screaming at you! Pay attention to me!). | | | | desire at 125 logs, anger at 150 logs, pride |
| The worst situation occurs when pain totally | | | | at 175 logs, courage at 200 logs, neutrality |
| incapacitates you and you literally cannot | | | | at 250 logs, willingness at 310 logs, |
| function. | | | | acceptance at 350 logs, reason at 400 logs |
| | | | and love at 500 logs. Above that is joy at |
| 2. Don't give in to hysteria, irrational | | | | 540 logs, peace at 600 logs, enlightenment at |
| behavior or a depressed spirit. Rebelling | | | | 700 to 1,000 logs. |
| against pain by letting your emotions slide | | | | |
| can only increase the intensity of the pain. | | | | 5. Having the courage to get close to "pain" |
| Having a healthy attitude sets you up to | | | | automatically de-fuses its explosive, |
| better receive the special gift that "pain" | | | | out-of-control quality. |
| can bring. | | | | |
| | | | You cannot sit side by side with something |
| Fighting any condition does not mean it will | | | | that terrifies you and not learn to live with |
| end. Fighting pain increases its intensity | | | | it better. Fear breeds strong bio-chemicals |
| and makes you feel worse. If you "accept" the | | | | that have the potential to increase pain. |
| pain and know that there will be times when | | | | |
| it's better, and possibly a time when it will | | | | A wise woman once told me to quit living in |
| go away, you will be able to relax into it | | | | fear of my pain. She encouraged me to stop |
| somewhat and that step down in emotions will | | | | thinking of it as the enemy... to get close |
| help to lessen your pain. Don't be hysterical | | | | to it and 'be' with it. She said I would feel |
| or desperate. Try to find the lesson in why | | | | better and she was right. By doing as she |
| you're having the pain and, ultimately, a | | | | suggested, my pain lessened in intensity. |
| gift of knowledge and spirit will come. It | | | | Therefore, I got the upper hand. |