| You're slicing veggies for the soup. Suddenly you feel | | | | as something you can brush away. Bring your hand |
| a sharp pain and blood pours from your finger. Not | | | | over the area you want relief. Imagine gathering all |
| only do you have blood everywhere, but you have | | | | that discomfort in your hand and moving it off your |
| experienced what is called acute pain. This type of | | | | fingers and into the air. |
| sensation is transitory. It is your body's message to | | | | Do this many times until you begin to feel relief. It's |
| you that something damaging has happened. | | | | excellent for those times similar to cutting yourself or |
| There is also the continual hurt which won't go away | | | | slamming a drawer on your finger. |
| except with drugs, if they even help. This could be | | | | You can combine the "brushing" motion with your |
| from chronic headaches, fibromyalgia, arthritis, cancer | | | | breath to move the throbbing more quickly. |
| or another illness. The everyday constant aching of | | | | Another way involves what is called a "pain drain." |
| the body is wearing on the emotions. | | | | You can only do this if the problem is not with your |
| I want to discuss an "alternative" way of handling | | | | hands. |
| such physical discomfort. | | | | Place your left hand where you hurt. Hold your right |
| Think of aches, throbbing, piercing or burning | | | | hand, fingers extended, to your side. |
| sensations as energy. When the energy moves and | | | | Now imagine that your left hand is a suction pulling |
| flows you feel fine. When it gets stuck and | | | | away all the energy causing problems. Imagine that |
| congested your body responds with extremely | | | | sensation coming up your arm, across your shoulders, |
| uncomfortable sensations. | | | | down your other hand, and out your fingers. Some |
| The various techniques are simple if a bit unusual. | | | | people feel a "bubbling" sensation leaving their fingers. |
| Bring your attention to a place your body hurts. | | | | I would use this last technique with a friend who was |
| Now imagine that hurt as a gray cloud. Imagine you | | | | in end stage cancer. I'd set the "suction" in motion |
| are behind the cloud. Take a deep breath and "blow" | | | | and then we would chat for about 20 minutes. By |
| the cloud out of your body. Just imagine it leaving | | | | the time we finished, the morphine patch was able to |
| your body with your breath. | | | | suppress the severe hurt she was feeling. |
| Another way is to literally brush the pain away. | | | | There are alternatives to drugs. Sometimes you need |
| Let's say your hand aches. Imagine that aching feeling | | | | both. |