5 Things Everyone Needs to Know about PAIN

Welcome!

Before we begin, keep in mind this is a non-linear pursuit. As humans we have a vast unlimited inventory to access, and most of the time we don't have a teacher to help us identify these tools. So keep this as a reminder, that our mind, body, emotional self, energetic self/spirit, includes our total self. And throughout our lives, PAIN, will do its best to condition us into further complicated fragments. Into, ego, psychological, and subconscious levels of attention. In order to heal, any part of who we are, we have to find the ability to "hold-space".

Become the "listener"; only then can we learn what it means to invite consciousness and awareness into unknown regions.

Knowing how we learn is also a key factor in developing one's inventory of self. Not just Auditory, Visual, and Kinesthetic. Our primary source is reference. New things are scary, but we are sometimes multiples better the second time we do something than the first. Keep this reference in mind, as you proceed through the article.

1. The Nervous System: After having been in physical pain my whole life, it was so deeply woven into my emotional, and spiritual pain, that I hadn't known I accepted it on all levels. Thinking I deserved it, and held onto it with Self-Pity. This is a long lesson in itself and will be discussed later, when discussing the tool I call "Drawing the Faded Line".

Where I separated Pain/Sadness. So I could see the value of each individually. Only by developing my mind palace, and creating boundaries from deeply rooted traumas, I taught myself to no longer accept the story it told me ever since I was a child... Only in 2016, did I truly start my journey to heal my total self. Everything leading up to that point was a crash course before the Olympics.

The Nervous System is centered in and with the Spine. I consider the Spine an organ for this reason alone. Because after working with clients as a Massage Therapist for a decade, I've sought, discovered, tested, and studied how to truly "hold-space" for any and all kinds of pain, and how to accept, maintain, or treat the chronic or traumatic issues. Which is often linked to things the client is unaware of until attention is brought to it. This is what makes the Nervous System the first point of focus, it's ability to turn down signals of pain in our body so that we can function 'regularly'.

My favorite metaphor for this incredible talent we have, is looking at the myth of children. They fall and hurt themselves, "Ah they're fine! They're young, see! Not even phased." I've jumped from many high places, and have been doing Parkour and Martial arts since I was a child. Shock keeps us from noticing things right away, and so does fun.

But before we go into how the Nervous System works, we need to compare the myth of the elderly. "Oh, it's just cause I'm getting older." It is the wrong kind of acceptance. To think that you can't consciously access a traumatic or chronic condition and work through it is deprecating. Perhaps it may be true for a lot of people in their old age, but that's not my point... maybe it is irreversible.

You didn't develop this mindset, you've had it since you likely "became an adult" (Which can happen at any point in our lives, it is) when you learned on some level to "embrace the suck". Which is not a golden rule, because a golden rule speaks for itself. No, embracing the suck needs to be directed towards our self importance and ego, in order to be honest to ourselves. Truth hurts. We are responsible for our injuries a good majority of the time. We were just never taught how to access ("Take Responsibility for") and heal how we hurt ourselves. We're just given drugs to forget it.

Example: You roll your ankle. It is a red signal in the body, pain, inflammation, it's trying to fix-it fix-it, but unless you broke a bone. The body will realize, 'it's not working' and then the Nervous System will turn the signal of pain down, creating a void, in which we learn to naturally avoid. Thus begins the compensation pattern building, and accepting pains we will keep into old age. This can start in our earliest of years. Which is why the best lens to see pain through, is as an acronym.

PAIN = PAckaged/INformation.

This is what I do as a healer. I bring peoples attention to the voids that are causing them distortions in their life. Emotionally, Psychologically, Physically and Mentally. The energy part of most things speaks for itself, it happens whether we want it to or not.

The Nervous System will house the PA-IN, and place it on a shelf. As kids, we have an open shelf, plenty of room to add our wounds and stories to. As we get older, we have our whole life of boxes that have clustered with many packages within it, meanwhile the shelves are shrinking, because the Nervous System is getting older, slowing down and not able to work as well as it used to. Time makes us tired, which again, I believe is a mindset more than a fact.

On the contrary, we don't have to be old to be overwhelmed by how much we have stored inside. Fibromyalgia: the topic of topics with people and clients and doctors and theories. But there's been one consistent fact in it. There is a lot we haven't unpacked. People think massage will help them feel better... it can, but it's not massage itself. That's the What. It's the Who you can work with, and How they work that makes a difference. And! Knowing that no matter how good a therapist is, they can only do 50% of the work. The rest is up to the life that owns the vessel and how they navigate their day to day.

Alright back to the topic of topics.

Fibromyalgia: If we take the information we just went through, and applied it not locally, but systemically. You have so many issues, in your joints, old wounds, mentally, emotionally or physically, your organs are suffering, you don't sleep much which makes your bowels more irritable. You have a shorter and shorter fuse and feel like your likely to burst all the time and can't, because your whole body is freaking out. Likely in flares or waves, or maybe its constant. I've seen all cases and treated many.

They spent years in a state of pain, constant in one way or another. I could empathize, but for different reasons. Nonetheless, our goal was the same. To be Clean of it! The first time it happened, it dawned on me and became part of the discussion at the end of the session. "Wow, I'm now feeling parts of my body I didn't even know hurt... but, everything was hurting and now... I can actually relax."

They no longer had to deal with the excess, boxes cluttered everywhere on and off shelves, everything open and strewn about. I'm not the guy to show them what is inside the content, I'm only the one with capable arms and a flashlight to see in the dark. To identify that "I'm here to help." And in listening and facilitating what the mind and body are ready for, it becomes a joint effort of consolidating and remembering sensations that have laid dormant. In the moment of experience, the reference to the PAIN is changing as the structure changes to - no longer holding onto the PAIN.

It takes a great deal of patience, courage, and willingness to develop the strength to be gentle and heal. And it takes trust, in yourself and the healer you're working with.

2. Gravity: To me, this is the all-important factor. Which is tied with #3, which is Breathing.

Gravity is something that has always fascinated me, but it wasn't until I learned about Wolff's Law; did I realize why I'd always wore heavy things ALL THE TIME. And even more so, one of the main causes of why we have pain.

No, I'm not saying Gravity is the culprit. I'm saying Domestication is. Wolff's Law states, that our bones become denser and stronger due to the compression they endure. Astronauts lose bone mass from the moment they start going out into space. How does this bring us to the reason we have pain? Growing pains?

Not quite... Growing pains are a matter of course. We endure them no matter what we go through in life... otherwise you'd be dead.

When our bones are aligned, the gravity they experience will make them denser and stronger. Yoga is meant to teach this, finding ease in natural alignments and breathing... letting the body go to do its thing so you can let your mind go. Moving the joints out of alignment is also a necessary thing, Ido Portal preaches this loud and proud! If we can't find strength or move in states that are out of alignment than we are weak. So it goes back to Domestication...

Yes, we teach our bodies weakness, with furniture.

We rest in states of comfort with gravity that are not aligned to allow relaxation to occur in the body. The mind, yes, depends... what's on T.V?

Learn to access the floor, do calisthenics, become an animal on all fours, utilizing hands, knees, feet and elbows as eight pivot points of movement. We can then spread and disperse and even decompress the stress we endure in the spine, using gravity as an ally instead of a nemesis.

Being Vertical all day long as a bipedal creature is probably the most exhausting thing we can do. And when we focus at work, or wait in line, or any other stagnant position that leads to leaning, or some awkward alignment, the tension from gravity is no longer growing the density of our bones, it is effecting our ligaments and tendons where we learn to create holding patterns.

As these holding patterns develop, connective tissue or 'fuzz' occurs. We call them knots, trigger points, fascia, etc. Point being it is a dynamic and 3-D manifestation in our bodies of potential energy. It doesn't matter what it's called, it is a glue that is being used the WRONG WAY.

It is the same substance that feels good upon waking, the 'good morning stretch and yawn' sometimes we shiver, and the stretch can even feel kinda achy, but still a good sensation (we hope). The movement and sensation is melting the fuzz, and bringing light and awareness to our system (again, hopefully to feel good about our body and the day ahead). The difference, is the only time we have 'learned' to be relaxed, is when we are dead asleep. So imagine someone who can't sleep well? They truly never get a time where their body can relax.

When a holding pattern exists long enough, the body will say "HEY!! You been doing this for a while... I'm uh, just gonna put some glue down here. Don't worry about it." And you won't, until you do. Which is usually when you have developed enough restriction, tightness or pain to notice it as a priority.

The Nervous System works in priority, and it is not in any particular order either so don't try. We are all unique puzzles, and each issue inside the body is seeking conveyance... but they all know different languages. Thus, a detective is needed to investigate and remove the mafia invading the system, and a listener to help translate the agreement of PAIN, as PAIN is no longer allowed occupancy. Making room for freedom and pleasure.

3. Breathing:

If there was anything I would want to teach the entire world upon my death, if nothing else... it would be for us all to rediscover the power of Breathing.

If we didn't have it as an autonomic function, I think we wouldn't have population issues. Most of us would have dropped dead awhile ago.

Breathe is not only soothing, but a primary source of our life. And there are studies which are incredible journeys which I highly recommend, one example is "Breath - By James Nestor".

My focus here, is with the Diaphragm. It is the center of our body and is the ONLY muscle in the body without an Antagonist. Our body is a complex pulley system, our muscles never push, they pull. I believe the mind is the diaphragms antagonist however, the more we breathe the less we think, the more we think the less we breathe.

But it's not just about focusing on breathing. There are many techniques that serve many purposes to breathing, and some people have been able to acquire almost mythical levels of strength, focus, and energy based on the way they breath. It is an art and a discipline.

It is what nourishes us, and I believe it is also a fine part of how we tread through our memories and experiences during life and while reflecting on our past. It is an excellent way to command your own attention in state of vigil or meditation, or even in a hostile situation or argument. It can mean the difference of being in a state of anxiety, or calm.

I learned how to start resetting my system, by learning how I held my breath in certain movements. I'd go through a motion, I'd find something that hurts, then catch it with my attention. I'd hold the tension, continue exhaling through the form of my initial reaction until fighting to be empty, then, tighten further as I inhaled. (Why?)

The Diaphragm's action: When it contracts, is sinks down to create a vacuum for our lungs to inhale. It relaxes as we exhale, and resides back up into our lower six ribs.

Which got me thinking... This is how I can retrain my body to move differently. And so as I tightened through the tension while inhaling, working through the pain, being a weirdo by either going further into or further out of alignment, I would then let it allll go as I exhaled. Doing this over and over until I felt centered in my body. Which then became my 'wringing' out method for dealing with most holding patterns in my own body, and with clients.

4. You Can't Demonize ANYTHING: in order to heal.

This is not the same as creating boundaries. Boundaries are vital. You make them from learning life lessons, you realize what to bring into your life, while identifying what not to (or no longer) invite in.

The more we demonize anything, the farther we find ourselves from the truth... and no one except yourself can save you from revealing those deep qualities of illusion. We can just hope, along the way, people and nature will influence in such a way, to bring about epiphanies or synchronicities that may help enlighten or bring awareness to something you've likely known, and resisted, for a long time.

Generational influence is so strong.

We can't win by telling others what's wrong. We win, by letting go of trying to win... by getting down from the high horse, or removing the pedestal you've created. The severity we create by anchoring so much of our identity to a belief or disbelief is a waste. Again, fixations, fanaticism, these are all things that can be separated. Literally it's like splitting hairs, but without the drama... actually it's in learning how to relieve the drama. It's important to further define categories and making room for tools to develop. This is what I call, 'Drawing the Faded Line'.

I did it with many things, but one of the most important was

Self-Importance VS Ego

Self-Importance is status, it's what we've developed with capitalism. It's whatever cause or excuse we find to negate an opportunity to be honest.

Ego, is our character. It is the core of our defining personality that we can return to when we forget and lose ourselves.

This is where the art of detaching yourself from the outcome, leads one into the endless pursuit for knowledge.

5. There is no lid to what we can learn:

No one will be more right than another person. Their 'truths' may not align to yours. Your body is your story. Find the answers that work for you, and discover more answers along the way. The trail we discover on our path of healing, it is an endless road. Life is PAIN, and then we die. Except, it doesn't need to come from a place of entropy... The packaged information you keep can be intentional, and the stories you tell can help many others, and not just yourself.

"It takes a village."