How to Suppress Physical Pain With Your Mind

Everyone experiences pain at some level in their lives. Whether from a sprained ankle or chronic pain that is intense and will not go away. It can be debilitating and frustrating. You cannot accomplish even the simplest daily tasks. Doctors will provide drugs for pain management that sometimes work and more often than not do not work without higher and higher dosages. If you are nervous about taking high doses of pain pills, it is not surprising. The possibility of addiction is always just around the corner. There are other ways. Perhaps the most efficient and healthy in the long run is to suppress your physical pain with your mind. It can be done with a little practice.

Relaxing

This is very important, you have to be able to relax, allowing yourself the freedom of thought without the constant stress of your situation. Try finding a quiet place and turn off the lights. A reclining position works best for most people and then you breathe. It sounds simple and it is. Long, slow deep breaths allow your heart rate to lower and your blood will not be pumping so fast. Your slow deep breathing also allows more oxygen to enter the blood stream. You will be able to feel your tension dissipating. This will actually take the edge off your pain by itself. At this point it is time to get to work with your brain.

Mental Direction

Now you will change the focus of your mind. When we are in constant pain your brain focuses on that. You need to change this and it can be done. In your relaxed state you will think about the parts of you that does not hurt. If it is your back that has the issue, think about your leg, or your foot. Think about your foot warming up. Putting your thoughts in this direction will take them away from the parts of you that are in pain. It has been proven through research that our minds control our bodies to a great extent and it will work here.

Use Your Imagination

This can work for you like a pain killer. Imagine you are putting a cool, soothing ice pack on you painful area. Imagine how that feels and imagine your pain is receding. Or you could chose to imagine receiving a shot of morphine to kill the more intense pain. Placebos have been known to work if you believe it is going to work. In the past doctors would give patients a sugar pill, but told them it was a pain pill. It worked too. As long as the patient believed it was a pain pill, the mind took away most of the pain. You can do this with your imagination.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Using these methods will take practice. Learning new coping skills can take some time, but if you practice several times a week for maybe 30 minutes to an hour you will find yourself getting better and better. You will be strengthening you mental muscles to get a handle on your pain.