How Meditation Can Help to Reduce Pain
by Jules DeVitto
There are now a growing number of ways in which to relieve pain naturally and because of the direct link between the body and the mind, guided meditations are a powerful technique in which to reduce and release pain in the body. We can apply guided meditations and mindfulness exercises as complementary tools alongside other forms of treatment to help reduce pain.
Mindfulness meditation is about bringing greater awareness to our experiences and we cultivate a mindful way of being through a balanced relationship between our attention and awareness. When working with physical pain in the body, mindfulness enables us to notice what our attention is being drawn towards and also how we are relating to the pain. Usually, we are in tunnel awareness - with all of our awareness being narrowed down to focus solely on the intensity of the pain we are experiencing. As a result, we often want to resist or push the pain away. However, if we try to resist what is present in the body, this only intensifies the sensations.
Guided meditations enable us to cultivate greater awareness and shift our relationship to pain. We can learn to create some space between the pain and ourselves, becoming the observer of the pain instead of over-identifying and becoming the pain itself. From this space of observation, we notice how pain is moving and changing in the body - it is never static, even if it often feels this way.
This guided meditation for physical pain helps you to shift your relationship to pain in the body. It guides you to use the breath to enter a calm and centered space. You can then begin to observe the body and the sensations that are present. We don’t move away or avoid the pain, but we work with the breath to connect more deeply with it. When we do this, we can then visualize the pain shifting or dissipating and the intensity of it becomes less present.
Try listening to the guided meditation regularly and notice what shifts in the process. Does your relationship to the pain change? Do you begin to recognize that the sensations in your body are constantly moving? Develop a regular routine by listening to the meditation as frequently as possible – preferably at the same time each day.
Click here to listen to our guided meditation for pain
Jules DeVitto has an MSc in Transpersonal Psychology and additional qualifications in coaching, counselling and mindfulness practices. She is also an experienced and qualified teacher. She has drawn on the knowledge of Eastern spiritual traditions and Western Psychology in which to form her unique approach to transformation and growth. She is currently offering her services through one-one sessions and groups workshops for both adults and children. You can visit her web site here: