Imagery Exercises for Pain

Pain is an important mechanism for our bodily functioning. It alerts us to the presence of some trouble. In this sense, it is not only an "adversary," an enemy that we believe must be stopped at all costs, but also a messenger, a teacher of sorts, signaling some danger. In English the root of the word pain means "punishment"; in Sanskrit, it means "purification."

As I explained earlier, when you ask yourself for an image to express an emotion or sensation, the image usually comes quickly. Nowhere is this fact more evident than when working with pain.

Naturally, in the case of pain, you should see your physician or dentist as appropriate.

After doing an exercise, or combination of exercises, give yourself time to see if the pain has disappeared. Take 5 or 10 minutes to gauge it. Amidst all this, do try to find some meaning for the pain. Is there a punishment, some guilt, some message? For the tooth pain, try to find any current acute loss you may be suffering from. If you don’t find something, you can still work on eliminating pain. If you find something, then an additional learning experience can take place. Acknowledge these messages and face them directly. You may immediately realize that some decision or action in your life has to be taken. Don’t hesitate to do so.

Painless Voyage:

Frequency: Every 10 to 15 minutes, for 3 to 5 minutes, until pain subsides.

Close your eyes. Breathe out one time. See the pain. After seeing it, find yourself entering your body with a gold can of hot, golden oil. Make your way to the pain. Have a light with you and examine the pain from every angle. Then pour the hot, golden oil over the pain, covering it completely. See the pain dissolve to a golden point. Turn around and see golden rays of health and well being flowing from this point to all parts of the body. Then leave your body by the route you entered, knowing that your pain has gone. Then open your eyes.

Befriending Pain:

Frequency: Every 10 to 15 minutes, for 2 to 3 minutes, until pain subsides.

Close your eyes. Breathe out one time. See the pain. After seeing it, know that you can befriend it by entering into it and sit in the center of it. Stay there and don’t complain about it. (By "complain," I mean not giving it such attributes as "awful," "terrible," "horrible"; in other words, don’t give it any negative adjectival labels.) Then open your eyes.

Through the Magnifying Glass:

Frequency: Every 10 to 15 minutes, for 1 to 2 minutes, until pain subsides.

Close your eyes. Breathe out once. See your pain. Look at it from every angle through a magnifying glass, then erase it by wiping it away to the left. Then open your eyes.

Handling Pain:

Frequency: Every 10 to 15 minutes, for 1 to 2 minutes, until pain subsides.

Close your eyes. Breathe out once. See yourself with very big, strong hands. With your two big hands remove the pain and throw it away. Then open your eyes.

The Helping Bird:

Frequency: Every 10 to 15 minutes, for 1 to 2 minutes, until pain subsides.

Close your eyes. Breathe out three times. Look at a bird. Ask him to take away your pain. See him pecking at it with his beak and flying away with the pieces. When all the pieces are gone, open your eyes.

Rockets into Space (for head pain):

Frequency: Every 10 to 15 minutes, for 1 to 2 minutes, until pain subsides.

Close your eyes. Breathe out three times and see yourself putting the points of pain on rockets shooting out of your head and disappearing into space. Then open your eyes.

Emptying the Socket (for tooth pain):

Frequency: Every 10 to 15 minutes, for 1 to 2 minutes, until pain subsides.

Close your eyes and breathe out three times. See yourself gently pushing out your tooth (use any degree of vigor you wish to remove the tooth). Breathe out once and feel air coming into the opening, where a little of the gum and nerve are showing. Breathe out once and put the tooth back lightly into place, knowing that it is healthy and whole. Breathe out once, and see the swelling going down as your breathe out three times. Then open your eyes.