Re: [FranzBardonMagi] Pain

["Rawn Clark" <rawnclark@...>]

Dear Julia,

>> In exercises regarding recreation of the senses, I have noticed that
although senses such as sight, sound, touch etc can be made real with
the mind, I cannot create a sensation of pain. Even when recalling a
very painful event, I can only (all too easily) recreate the
psychological reaction to that pain, but not the physical sensation
itself. Why is this so? <<

;-) You've answered your own question! The distinction between "pain"
and simple "sensation" is primarily psychological. Both involve energy
moving along nerves in response to a stimulus. When this nerve energy
reaches the brain it is *interpreted* by the brain and identified as
this or that. And when the brain says "pain!", the physical body starts
creating endorphins which stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain
and tend to make the body forget its pain.

So unless you are currently experiencing pain, it's very difficult, *at
first*, to create the sensation from memory in the Step Two exercise. I
suggest (assuming you're not already experiencing a pain) that you
create the sensation of pain by poking your finger with a sewing needle
or pin. Focus intently upon the sensation and experience it as fully as
possible in the short time it lasts. Then, try to replicate it
immediately with your creative imagination. You will learn some
valuable lessons about pain from this harmless little experiment!

>> And why are the psychological effects of pain so far worse than the
(usually) brief moment of the pain itself? Come to think of it,
psychological pain is always far worse, even when there was no physical
pain that triggered it. <<

The psyche is what *interprets* sensation and decides if it is
"pleasurable" or "painful" or somewhere in between. In other words,
it's the psyche that suffers "pain", not the body itself. The body only
*experiences sensation*. It's when we mentally and emotionally
*interpret* the sensation perceived by our body-instrument that the
valuations of "pain" and "pleasure" emerge. Emotional injuries (as
opposed to physical injuries) create a perception of pain that the
psyche *does* remember because it is a purely psychic pain and there is
no bodily mechanism to dull or transform this sort of pain.

In other words, it is possible *for the mind* to transform "pain" into
"pleasure" (or anywhere in between) and vise versa, in so far as the
mind is what controls the interpretation of sensation. This is true for
physical "pain" AND for emotional "pain".

>> If the psychological reaction to the pain can be overcome, can the
sensation of the pain itself be .. um, not lessened, not transformed,
just ... disconnected. Still aware of it, not upset by it (not *me*).
That would give a whole new dimension to the sensation of physical pain.
Probably a lot easier to bear. <<

Yes, on all counts. ANY sensation can be transformed or disconnected
from / ignored. The Center of Stillness Meditation demonstrates a
technique for accomplishing this.

For example, take the sensation of a dull, prolonged muscle ache. Focus
your whole attention upon the perception of this dull ache. Isolate
just the sensation itself from all of the thoughts that arise in
response to it and from all of the emotions that attach to those
thoughts. Recognize it is just *a* sensation without any special
significance.

Now, to transform it into a different sensation, such as a relaxed
warmth, you use your creative imagination and fill the raw,
insignificant energy of the sensation with the *significance* of relaxed
warmth. Recognize the sensation as being one of relaxed warmth.

Alternately, to wipe the sensation from your field of perception (i.e.,
to ignore it) all you have to do is move your *whole* attention to
something else and focus it exclusively there.

My best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
26 Apr 2003
rawnclark@...
rawn@...
http://www.ABardonCompanion.com
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