Pain Relief

A technique of the mind that may allow for a little relief of temporary pain, whether this be fleeting, such as experienced after a knock, or passing pain, such as experienced with a headache. Although I am sure this is a technique honed by Buddhist Monks who set themselves on fire in protest, it is very unlikely to assist whatsoever in circumstances of extreme and/or prolonged pain. The method is simple; it requires focussed concentration on the area within the body that is causing the discomfort. Start by closing your eyes in order to get the hang of it, be aware of your mind only, then rid it of all thoughts, you should be aware of self, and of your positioning, that being within the head. It is now a matter of taking your mind from within your head, to the position of pain within your body, or if that pain is in the head, to the area at which the pain is most concentrated. If it helps, imagine your mind travelling from your starting place and through the body towards your ailment, alternatively, you can project your mind straight to the area. Once there, try to travel deep into the pain itself and put all of your concentration into that area. Now, this may sound ridiculous, but try with all of your concentration to worsen the pain. I hope that when you get this right, you should find that the pain does quite the opposite, if only for brief interludes whilst your concentration ebbs, and then lapses. Practice may very well make perfect, although I wouldn’t wish the need for that much practice upon anyone. Having thought about this technique thoroughly, I wonder whether, by sending signals from the brain, and to the area of pain, this somehow works against the signals travelling the opposite way, from the area of pain, to the brain, where it is then perceived as pain. It could also be that this technique works by simply taking the mind off the perception of pain by distracting it somewhat, I am sure this is how cannabis works in pain relief, by numbing the brain to its perception of pain.