Tag Archives: mindfulness

12Sep/16
Mindful commuting

Mindful commuting

Anxiety, Mindfulness, , , ,

Mindful commutingMany people commute to work creating a great opportunity to create calm, focus and prepare for a top performance, simply with mindful commuting. In London, a huge number of commuters use the tube, which is rammed with people (in a rush), often smelly and particularly hot in the summer. How can one create calm and focus in those circumstances you may wonder?

As a commuter you join thousands of others, some of which push you, breathe on you, lean on you, rest their paper on you (I once saw a woman rest her newpaper on a man’s back, which she quickly moved when he turned, only to put it back when he looked away — it was quite amusing), stare at you and nudge you. Today there was a small space next to me and a man forced his way into it creating discomfort for everyone, including himself. So there are just a few incidences that could challenge one’s patience and yet what a great opportunity to develop the skills of patience and compassion towards others. In doing so, you feel better versus feeling anger, frustration or annoyance. We can choose.

Over and above developing a compassionate outlook for the day ahead by looking deeply at a situation (we can consider that the other person may be suffering for a range of reasons and hence behaving in a certain way), we can use the following practices to orientate ourselves towards positive emotions. Being aware of and acknowledging positive emotions broadens our thinking and receptiveness as well as enhances our resilience in the face of a challenge, all of which impact upon our performance at work based on how we communicate with ourselves and others.

  • each time you find yourself becoming irritated on your commute, take 3 breaths and in particular notice your out-breath
  • walk mindfully, paying attention to each step and just be curious as to what is going on around you. Notice how it makes you feel and return your attention to your walking
  • if you cannot get through the crowd because it is busy, return your attention to your breathing to create calm and then walk mindfully
  • be aware of those around you and wish them well in your thinking, noticing how this makes you feel and how the world then appears
  • as you pay attention to your breathing, think kindly about your colleagues and boss so that when you encounter them, you communicate with skill and not on a background of feeling stressed and anxious
  • if you feel stressed and anxious it is because your thinking (embodied) has drifted into the past or future, thereby flavouring the present. Take 3 breaths and see things for what they are; be aware of this moment
  • listen to a mindful app on the journey
  • practice mindful breathing when you simply pay attention to your breath that holds you in the present moment

There are many more ways of practicing but in essence just using one or two will help you create calm and focus. Try it and see!

Mindfulness is a very practical way of being that creates calm, peace and allows you to to see things for what they are as you are consistently aware of the present moment, you listen deeply and speak with skill to communicate understanding and compassion. This is transformative in all situations and achievable for all.

Mindfulness practice forms part of the Pain Coach Programme for pain and chronic pain | t. 07518 445493

28Aug/16
simple skills

Simple skills

Chronic pain, Pain, Pain Coach, , , ,

simple skillsThere are a number of simple skills that can be practiced to become a better clinician. In essence, when we are fully present and engaged, we are communicating this to the patient thereby creating a nourishing environment. This environment sets the scene for new understanding and new habits, beginning the transformation of the suffering person.

We are not separate from the environment in which we reside and hence we, the clinicians, have a role in how the environment supports the person getting better. Arranging the treatment space is important then, enabling the patient to feel welcome, heard, comfortable and free to express themselves. This expression is the story to which the clinician must listen deeply as all the information is contained within the narrative. Allowing the person to speak in their own language with occasional prompts and guidance is the basis of the onward journey towards their vision of a desired outcome.

For the clinician to practice mindfulness is a simple way of maintaining presence and engagement with the patient. This simply means that you are listening deeply and using insight to see the causes of suffering that are revealed as the person speaks freely. Add to this compassionate speech and the communication facilitates the way forward. Communication is part of the treatment as the clinician helps the patient understand their pain and suffering — what has happened so far, what is happening now, what is influencing their pain, what they can do, what the clinician will do and how they will go about it.

Practicing mindfulness is a simple skill. As a starter, the clinician can take 4-5 breaths between patients, paying attention to the rise and fall of their chest. On the out-breath you can consciously let go of unhelpful and distracting thoughts. As soon as your mind drifts into the past or future, you are no longer present and your engagement dissolves. During the session, recognising this happening and bringing your attention back to your breath is a way of re-engaging once more.

Taking a break midway through the day to move, breath and nourish is an important refresh and renew point. A period of deep relaxation for 10-20 minutes gives us energy to be present once more and focus on the patient: their words, their gestures, their messages. We must develop our abilities to gain insight into the causes of the patient’s suffering so that we can guide and treat, enabling them to get better and ease their pain and suffering. In fact, by gaining insight ourselves, we can then help the patient to develop their insight into the causes of their own suffering and create new healthy habits around their thinking, choices and actions to actively infer new experiences.

Practical point: start by taking 4-5 breaths between patients, and at the start of the day express gratitude for the opportunity to help people get better.

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Pain Coach 1:1 Mentoring Programme — develop yourself and your insights to coach people overcome their pain | t. 07518 445493

08Jun/16
Mindful commuting

Space

Chronic pain, Environment, RSI, Space, Uncategorized, , , ,

SpaceThere are things that we know are good for us: sleep, water and space. Of course then we need quality sleep, water and space. I’m interested in space, and not the kind that is out there, but rather the space we choose to place ourselves day to day and how this impacts upon us consciously and subconsciously. In particular I am keen to understand how we associate with certain environments and in fact how our brains predict the meaning of a given environment and the experiences that emerge.

Here are a couple of classic examples that I hear about:

1. RSI — repetitive strain injury: I am using this term for ease, although I have issue with it, but that’s for another time. I refer to pain and other symptoms that people attribute to repeated use such as typing, clicking a mouse and texting. In the vast majority of people I see with this burdensome condition, we can evoke their symptoms by just thinking about certain environments! Their desk at work for example. When we close our eyes and think about a place, we are in essence there and it feels like it. When a place or space becomes associated with a threat value because of a link that has been established, then it makes sense to feel a warning when we think about it. However, when this persists, this becomes an increasing problem due to the behavioural aspects — altered movement, restricted use and guarding, all of which perpetuate the threat value and hence the on-going pain. Thankfully, this cycle can be broken with the right understanding and training.

* This is not unique to RSI, but any pain problem is contextual and becomes associated with certain places, positions, movements, activities etc etc. A significant part of overcoming persistent pain is by creating new habits.

2. A place in nature: a pleasant image comes to mind, unified with feelings of comfort in the body to make it an overall calming and soothing experience. This is why visualisation is so effective as we can choose to shift into our resource state whenever we need: when anxious, stressed or in pain for example. This is a technique that I blend with others to create the necessary calm we need to refresh and renew, particularly if we are suffering pain or tiredness.

Placing ourselves in an environment has enormous effects upon us as we become part of that very environment. In fact, what you experience as that environment you are creating using at least your brain, your mind and your body, and importantly how they unify. Using a film analogy, you are the film maker, the script writer, the star and the audience all rolled into one. Wow! How do we explain that? Using the very same unified processes to explain themselves! So, in becoming part of threat environment, the importance of choosing the right space is vital. Each day we should absorb ourselves in a nourishing place such as a park, by a river, in a forest or at least in a space where there is plenty of exactly that, space! And if you can’t do this on a particular day, then you can use imagery and visualisation and feel the resulting great feelings.

On a moment to moment basis, where we spend a lot of time, perhaps home and office, these spaces need to be nourishing and promote the feelings we want to feel — e.g./ at work to concentrate, focus, think, write, communicate; at home to feel comfortable, warm, safe etc. This may take some thought and some re-organising but it will be worth it — see here, a professional organiser: Cory Cook. Remember that the environment you choose to put yourself in impacts upon you enormously: the way you feel, the way you think, the way you interact. Something similar could be said for the people you spend time with.

So, when you are at work, at home, choosing a new job or accommodation, think carefully about the environment in which you will be living moment to moment experiences, because they will be shaped somewhat by that very environment. Get out into a big open space and move around in it, see it, smell it, feel it, using all your senses. And if you can’t, then take a deep breath, slowly let it go, do it again, close your eyes and take yourself to a space where you will feel great.

Pain Coach Programme for persistent pain | t. 07518 445493

08Feb/16
mindfulness by swampland | https://flic.kr/p/k3t1k

Practical mindfulness

Chronic pain, Mindfulness, ,
mindfulness by swampland | https://flic.kr/p/k3t1k

mindfulness by swampland | https://flic.kr/p/k3t1k

Practical mindfulness is for everyone. It is for everyone who wants to develop insight into their own mind, and in so doing will relieve an amount of suffering that is significantly impacting upon their life in a number of ways: pain, anxiety, ill health.

It is important to point out at this juncture that the mind does not exist purely in our heads but rather we are our mind, and our bodies are an extension of our minds as they reach out to both sample and create the world that we perceive. We think with our whole self. And if you are befuddled by this, just for a moment consider where you feel hungry or thirsty? Is it in your head? Does your mouth go off for a drink? Or do you feel thirsty and you go and get a drink to quench your thirst?

Practical mindfulness, for me, is about creating the conditions for health. We have everything we need to be healthy, yet life seems to get in the way. Consider: too busy to exercise or move? I want that cake because I am hungry and fancy a snack. I feel stressed because of what that person has said to me. I am anxious about _______ (fill in the gap).

Mindfulness is about being aware of what is happening in this moment, noticing the temporary nature of things and letting go (are you still thinking about what that person said? Who is left holding the burning coal?) in a non-judgmental way. This flies in the face of how we have been brought up in our society: judge! Blame! Dwell on the past and re-play that tape of that event you think that you remember — except you don’t well at all you just think you do! Crave! Want! No awareness runs through these common choices of thought or action. How are you choosing to think right now? Is there a better choice that would make you feel better? If you are aware of your habits of thought, then you can make a better choice to shift your perception and hence your conscious experience of what is happening right now.

Being present does not mean that you do not recall memories but rather that you do it with skill, noticing how it makes you feel and living the full richness without suffering, whilst letting go of unhelful thoughts. Being present does not mean that you do not plan, but instead means that you plan the future (that never comes because there is only this moment) in the present moment and therefore do not suffer the anxiety of an undesirable future. How often do you tell yourself that it will not work out? Or that you will fail or that you are not good enough? Is it true or are you just telling yourself that story. It is just a story, or a train of thoughts that you embody, live and enact and so it goes on. But it does not have to keep going on like this as we are all changing, all of the time. It is the direction we must choose: shall I keep on listening to that inner voice or let it go and be mindful? That is your choice.

Mindfulness does not require one to become spiritual or religious. It does not require any equipment. The principles are straight forward. It is only when someone keeps telling themselves that it is hard, is it hard. Why not choose to say to yourself that you will, or that you can rather than you can’t or you won’t?

There are two main practical practices: the moment to moment taking a breath to become aware, developing a sense of what is happening now and the sitting or lying practice for a period of time (usually 5-10 minutes initially) several times a day. In the regular practice you are putting down the heavy bags of past and future, and the suffering from living out the thoughts that keep passing through, especially those that you hold onto and resist. Resistence causes tension and other protective predictions that zap our energy and bring on aches and pains that are so common — migraine, headache, irritable bowel syndrome, back pain, neck pain — as our bodies try to keep up with the wandering mind. Taming the mind by gathering insight and cultivating curiosity makes way for calm times to plug-in, refresh and renew as you create the conditions for a healthy, performing, engaging you amidst the multitude of continuous stimuli in the world around. By the way, it is our embodied minds that are creating that reality, so there’s another reason to look after it, just like you do your body. You get fit in the gym, clean your body, groom your body, clothe your body. What do you do for your mind that gives you the sense of everything including that body?

Practical mindfulness is part of the Pain Coach programme for persisting and chronic pain, stress and anxiety. t. 07518 445493

 

23Nov/15
Pain Coach Programme

Art of living

Chronic pain, Mindfulness, Pain, Pain Coach, Pain Education, , , , , ,

Pain Coach ProgrammeWe like to be good at things. Sport, work, parenting, music are all common examples. We practice, note what goes well and what does not, making changes, and essentially practicing to get better.

But what is common to all of these and everything else in our lives? What overarches all of these? Living. Living itself. There’s an art to living a life of content—and this does not mean that there is no pain or suffering. A life well lived is one of moment to moment skill, and this includes what we tell ourselves and what we do. The moment to moment experiences. These determine overall how content we are rather than the ‘biggies': new car, new iPad, and the so-called life events. Now, these are all significant (if they are significant to you) yet they make up fleeting moments much like anything else. They are passing through, like other moments. It really depends on how you are framing it; what do you think about it? That’s what makes it what it is, for you in this moment.

So, there is an art to living well that depends on what you are telling yourself over and over. A situation is just a situation until you rate the situation and then feel it and live it. Until that point, it is nothing. We create our reality in any given moment and this is an art form. And art forms need good quality practice just like sports, music, how we communicate etc. The great thing about this is that we have every moment to practice and get good at it. You don’t need to go anywhere or any kit to get good at the art of living. So what do you need? Nothing.

Whilst you are seeking to be somewhere else, you are missing what is happening now. And that is all that is happening. Have plans, have aspirations but see them for what they are—plans and aspirations. Work out how to get there, but see that for what it is—a plan for how to get there. Be excited, be nervous, be anxious, but see these feelings for what they are—feelings, emotions that will pass as everything else does. Impermanence.

Here’s a simple tip of how to enact this: cultivate the habit of standing or sitting talk, taking a normal breath in and paying attention to this breath. Do this every time you feel tense, anxious, happy, excited, angry, sad…… Try it and see what happens.

20Aug/15
puppy love by Porsche Brosseau https://flic.kr/p/cu9h5h

Pain and compassion

Chronic pain, Compassion, Mindfulness, Pain beliefs, Pain Coach, Uncategorized, , ,
puppy love by Porsche Brosseau https://flic.kr/p/cu9h5h

puppy love by Porsche Brosseau https://flic.kr/p/cu9h5h

Pain and compassion are being explored at a forthcoming British Pain Society Conference, so I thought that I would comment on a couple of important aspects.

Firstly, as clinicians compassion plays a role in our desire to guide and treat others in pain and most likely coloured our choice to become a health-carer in the first instance. Secondly, I find that the vast majority, if not all those I see are compassionate people to everyone (or most!) except themselves. Here are some brief thoughts.

Compassion is defined as ‘inclining one to help or be merciful’ (Oxford Dictionary). The Dalai Lama describes compassion from a Buddhist viewpoint: ‘Compassion is said to be the empathetic wish that aspires to see the object of compassion, the sentient being, free from suffering’. There must be an object of compassion that is another individual or of course the one that is often forgotten, oneself.

The feeling of compassion is often described as a warmth across the chest; the type of feeling associated with seeing a small, defenceless animal, or perhaps a newborn child. This feeling enhances our empathy, which drives actions of kindness towards that being. As a clinician there are clear benefits of cultivating a compassionate approach towards patients who suffer the consequences of pain, particularly on-going pain. Certainly compassionate listening and actions are skills to be nurtured as they envelope the therapeutic encounter with essential authenticity. Compassion also creates an environment and a context for effective and skilful communication; an openness that encourages the patient to express themselves as themselves, revealing the challenges that can be surmounted with a joint therapeutic effort. The importance of the clinician being kind to himself or herself is akin to that of the patient. Looking at ways to grow and flourish, to be a better clinician requires acknowledgement of the current standing, acceptance and a desire to improve, yet without self-criticism.

Frequently patients will illustrate their harshness towards themselves. This punishment and criticism fosters angst, frustration, anger and other negative emotions that are draining, damaging and ultimately wasteful as energies are put into everything but clear thought and action towards improvement. At any given time, one does his or her best based on their knowledge and skills — everyone makes mistakes, which the wise learn from and see the opportunity in errors, the opportunity to develop. Learning to be kind to oneself, often breaking a habit of some years (many people I see are perfectionists; but in some arenas this trait is very useful and a strength that enables high performance resulting in success; so let us learn how and when to utilise it), is a vital part of learning how to overcome pain, especially persisting pain.

Here are several videos that are useful to that end:

Learning about compassion towards oneself and others is part of the Pain Coach Programme for overcoming and transforming persisting and chronic pain. Call us to book your appointment: 07518 445493 | Clinics in London | Sessions available on Skype on request

20Jul/15
vintage typewriter by philhearing | https://flic.kr/p/9pRzps

Gillian’s story | back pain and mindfulness

Back pain, chronic back pain, Chronic low back pain, Chronic pain, Mindfulness, Pain Coach, Pain Education, UP | Understand Pain campaign, , , , ,
vintage typewriter by philhearing | https://flic.kr/p/9pRzps

vintage typewriter by philhearing | https://flic.kr/p/9pRzps

Many thanks for Gillian’s story | back pain and mindfulness

MY PAIN STORY – GILLIAN WESTON

I am always a busy person; I play short mat bowls several times a week and have represented my County and England, I run a Junior session for bowls, I love to swim and I am a member of Horsham Rock Choir. I use a computer as the main part of my job of Practice Manager for a charity.

My problems began in 2010 when I slipped on some ice and inadvertently tried to break my fall with my left arm. I had restricted movement and upper arm nerve pain but after some physio my situation improved.

In Dec 2012 I developed pain in both arms after lifting a heavy object at work. I was referred for physio in Jan 2013 when I was diagnosed with tennis elbow in my right arm and shoulder impingement/tennis elbow in the left. After some exercises my right arm improved but I had further physio in the following months for my left arm. During this time the worst aspect was the nerve pain from my elbow to my hand – no painkillers relieved it, and I was in constant pain with or without movement, even scratching my face or lifting a kettle were agony!

In September 2013 when I was still in a lot of pain and had a further condition added – ulnar nerve entrapment – I was given 2 steroid injections. There was an improvement but of course the underlying problems were still there and in January 2014 there was a return of my intense pain. A further course of steroids followed, but the actual injection was excruciatingly painful and I was left with numbness in my ring finger. I was pain free until Nov 2014 when I moved a pot in the garden and experienced a twinge in my elbow, the problem was exacerbated when I used a simple screwdriver in Dec at work and I ended up in the worst pain I had had for some time.

By Jan 2015 I was at the end of my tether and rather than go the NHS route saw a physio who I knew privately. She felt that my neck was also the cause of my problem plus bad posture. Her approach was more holistic and she gave me some acupressure to try and calm me down from my very distressed state. She even suggested counselling as she was concerned about my mental health as a direct result. I was at various times loaned a TENS machine, given ultrasound and massaged. She helped me address by posture and gave discussed calming techniques. She discussed with me how my mental state was affecting my pain but I was sceptical about this at the time and more or less dismissed it. There was a degree of improvement in my condition over the following month thanks to the new physiotherapist but I was still struggling day to day.

During all these periods in and out of pain I have had to stop playing bowls and going swimming, use my right hand more – particularly with the mouse at work, been unable to sleep on my left side, been restricted doing the dance moves at choir, and not been able to do many day to day things that I used to take for granted.

In March 2015 I attended Heathrow Airport with Horsham Rock Choir where Georgie Standage my choir leader and Richmond Stace were hosting an event for UP. I took one of the flyers and did my research via the UP website. I found the videos very interesting – in particular the one explaining how “all pain comes from the brain” (Lorimer Moseley). I took particular interest too in the mindfulness videos. But I also found the written information really useful too. Over the following weeks I used mindfulness apps and also ‘talked’ myself out of pain. When I felt pain I closed my eyes and tried to focus on other parts of my body; if I hit my weakened elbow (as I do frequently!) I told myself that it was fine, it would hurt for a while and then I’d be OK. I used Mindfulness to keep me calm and I found that my nerve pain lessened in the weeks that followed.

By May I was able to resume my bowls for short periods to use my mouse at work left handed, do my Rock Choir moves without pain and return to swimming. Significantly I can sleep for periods on my left side without pain – which I haven’t done for a long time!

It is now July 2015 and I have been pain free for just over 3 months–other than the odd elbow bash! I do get the occasional twinge, and very interestingly if I am stressed about anything I get a bit of nerve pain in my arm! Looking back some of the worst pain ties in with significant stressful times in my life. I am still wary and careful about exacerbating things, but importantly I feel that “yes I do have pain sometimes, but pain doesn’t have me”. I am indebted to UP for giving me my life back, and I continue to use the techniques I have learnt – in particular the Mindfulness Breathing – to keep me calm and in control.

20Jul/15
Kitty Terwolbeck | https://flic.kr/p/nJ3oH4

Zen and the art of human maintenance

Mindfulness, Pain, Pain treatment, Physiotherapy, Treatment Philosophy, , , , , ,
Kitty Terwolbeck | https://flic.kr/p/nJ3oH4

Kitty Terwolbeck
| https://flic.kr/p/nJ3oH4

Zen and the art of human maintenance is not a spiritual blog but rather a practical one that considers a way of approaching hands on treatment–this is whether you are a massage therapist, a physiotherapist, an osteopath or any other clinician who uses their hands for examination and treatment. Equally it could apply to a person comforting a loved one.

How you bring yourself to the act has a huge impact upon the act itself. Setting the scene both in terms of the environment and the focus of your intention will play out through the treatment in subtle ways that effect the overall experience. A moment’s preparation in that vain allows the therapist to focus and be present meaning that the full experience is had, allowing for a sensitivity (via the therapist’s hands yet experienced through their whole person) that enables gentle responsiveness to adapt the treatment to the recipient’s needs. A classic example is being aware of how the muscles react to different levels of touch. Being aware means that you can detect even gentle guarding that indicates protection and need for both nourishment (improved blood flow and oxygen delivery to over-working muscles that are being told to tighten in an attempt to protect–yet this comes at a cost, both of energy and a build up of acids) and a sense of safety so that the systems that are protecting the body can ease up.

Take a moment: before you begin the treatment, 3 easy breaths to become aware of what is happening now, how you are feeling, what you are thinking; continue to maintain awareness of the present moment, letting go of distracting thoughts that interfere with your focus.

Zen is a sense of oneness with the present experience, what is happening right now, free from distractions and letting life flow. There are many situations when this state of simply being is very useful–before exams, interviews, when negotiating, discussions with your employer, before performing etc. However, cultivating this skill on a moment to moment basis is hugely beneficial as it allows you to see and think clearly, even when thinking about the past or future, which can cloud what is really happening now. These are all just thoughts, but when we become embroiled, the body reacts and responds because we are our body as much as we are our mind, and all that this means. So, just thinking about being in an argument or giving a speech creates similar responses in the body as if you are there; but you are not.

In giving treatment to another person, being fully present means that you fully experience the moment. You will be completely engaged in all that is happening ‘now’, creating a potency that cannot be otherwise reached with a wandering mind that has no connection with the treatment. This is undoubtedly a practical skill that can be developed, some calling it ‘focused attention training’ and others ‘mindfulness’. Everyone has the ability to focus, even for short periods, and to enhance the skill with practice. There would be some benefit of simply taking a few breaths as described above, yet there is even greater advantages to be had from further practice with 5-10 minutes of mindful breathing each day; more if you are so inclined.

Not only does being present whilst treating enhance the treatment through a more responsive selection of pressures and movements, the clinician also benefits from the calm created, and the clarity of thoguht offered by being present and aware. In effect, the whole experiecne means that while you are treating, you are being treated. A good way to measure this is by noting how you feel at the end of the day. A mindful day will end with energy, and non-mindful day with fatigue. I know which I prefer.

* These are skills to be learned and developed in the Pain Coach Mentoring Programme for clinicians | call 07518 445493 for details

11Jul/15
By LordEfan | https://flic.kr/p/kUfKKZ

Pain and the perfectionist

Anxiety, Chronic pain, Mindfulness, Pain, Pain beliefs, Pain Coach, , , ,
By LordEfan | https://flic.kr/p/kUfKKZ

By LordEfan | https://flic.kr/p/kUfKKZ

Pain and the perfectionist could be a title of a book in which the character suffers on-going pain, seeking to conquer himself using his perfectionist traits. I know of no such book, but I do know that a significant number of people who I see with chronic pain are perfectionists.

Like most things though, it is how you look at it that makes the difference. Most traits that we exhibit have a benefit and a purpose in our lives in one quarter but can be problematic in other arenas. Perfectionism is no different.

Whilst being a perfectionist would be highly adaptable when studying the detail of a document, arranging a bouquet or organising an event, when this spills over into being hard upon oneself, it can push the individual too far. Compassion must start with the self — being kind to yourself. It is all too common that people are self-critical, either overtly or more frequently via the inner dialogue. Continually telling yourself that you are not good enough or that you will never achieve is the exact opposite of believing in yourself. If there is one characteristic that is vital in overcoming pain, it is the belief that you can do it.

The sense of never being quite good enough is a safety mechanism of sorts. On the flip side it may drive the individual to practice or work harder, and this is acceptable if it does not cause angst and on-going stress that is incongruent with health and a feeling of wellness. Chronic stress is a significant issue in the modern world, having a huge role in many of the common problems that we see today — e.g. functional pain syndromes such as IBS, headache, migraine, functional abdominal complaints. Chronic stress causes the body to set itself in an inflammatory state, and there is a constant preparedness for action to fight or run away from a wild animal. Except there is no wild animal, just our thoughts and interpretations. These we can learn to observe rather than become embroiled within with techniques such as mindfulness.

Perfectionism is a strength that we can foster as part of the programme of overcoming pain. I base my treatment and training programmes upon your strengths as these are what we use in life to succeed, and succeed you will by nurturing these within an action plan that takes you back to a meaningful life. It is easy to say don’t be too hard on yourself, yet difficult to master. But it is possible to harness the strength of perfectionism and use it to overcome your pain.

For information about the Pain Coach Programme to overcome chronic pain, call 07518 445493. The Pain Coach Programme is also a learning programme for clinicians who want to develop their skills, either 1:1 mentoring or in small groups. Call us for details or email [email protected]

 

16Apr/15

Mindfulness is a great skill

Aches and pains, Anxiety, Mindfulness, Stress, , , , ,

Mindfulness is a great skill to learn at any age. To be mindful simply means to be aware of what is happening right now and without judgement–notice how you judge your thoughts and how that makes you feel.

Everything that we are aware of is our own, unique interpretation that emerges from our belief system. We appraise our thoughts, our actions, others, and the environment around us. This appraisal evokes an emotional and bodily response in many cases, even if it is just a shrug of the shoulders. It is important to clarify that emotions, body responses, thoughts and actions are all part of one and the same; i.e. the whole person. Sadly, much of the thinking, particularly in health, remains Cartesian and separates mind and body. This is despite reams of research papers and common sense telling us otherwise. What does your tummy do when you think about giving the presentation tomorrow? Your body reacts in response to the thought, and that reaction involves the nervous system, the motor system, the brain, the immune system etc etc….WHOLE PERSON.

So, if the appraisal or our perception guides how we respond, then we have a buffer between any give situation or thought and what happens next. We have a choice — ‘the greatest weapon against stress is our ability to choose one thought over another’ said the great philosopher William James. Shakespeare had insight: ‘there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so’.

Mindfulness is the skill that allows you to observe thoughts and interpretations rather than become embroiled, living out thinking that is felt in the body as emotions and tensions. You notice with quiet curiosity how your body is responding, lifting the veil of suffering.  We have that choice, but most don’t realise, operating on automatic overdrive leading to repeated stress physiology that affects every body system.

A stress response is designed to protect us from the dangers of wild animals. The same responses kick in to a threatening thought–the most dangerous things we face are our own thoughts and interpretations: a shadow after watching a horror film is threatening because of the way you think about it and create a story of a murderer lurking behind the tree. Actually, it’s a cat but that story does not feature. What stories do you tell yourself to create fear? How useful is fear? Not very.

Fear triggers further negative thinking, and that gets us nowhere. Respect and understanding create opportunities to learn and grow. Much better.

How are you mindful? If you look on the bookshelves, tome after tome sits there awaiting your mind. It seems that everyone has something to say on the matter. The reality is that mindful practice is simple. Practice is a habit that needs to be grooved. You must fail and fail and fail again. That is how we learn. And when you think you are good, fail again to get better. Learn to love failing because then you are getting better!

Start being mindful by noticing what is happening now. Where are you? What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Take a breath and observe it. The rise and fall of your chest and tummy. It’s a wonderful feeling to sit still. Especially in this crazy, high speed world with demands pouring in digitally and otherwise. Simply recall that whatever comes your way, it is your perception that counts. You are in charge of that perception. Make a choice. Create calm so that your body systems can do their job and slip out of protect mode and into health mode. On-going stress accounts for and contributes to most of the modern day ills–chronic pain, infertility, headaches, chronic inflammation, IBS etc etc. To think effectively about stress we need to look at it as a societal, cultural, physiological, personal phenomena.

So, I thought I would write a book about it as well. A very short one. Coming soon.

Mindfulness practice is part of the Pain Coach programme; a complete strategy to overcome chronic pain | t. 07518 445493