How Guided Meditation Can Help with Chronic Pain
Today, I Want To Talk To You A Little Bit About Guided Meditation
Living with chronic pain can be debilitating, affecting all areas of life from work to relationships. For those who experience it, chronic pain can be a constant struggle, leading to feelings of frustration and hopelessness. Fortunately, there are ways to manage chronic pain, and one option that has gained popularity in recent years is guided meditation. Guided meditation can be a powerful tool in managing chronic pain, helping individuals to find relief, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being.
In this article, we'll explore how guided meditation can help with chronic pain, and provide tips and resources to help you get started.
Understanding Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is a complex condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It is defined as pain that persists for more than 12 weeks, beyond the normal healing time for an injury or illness. Chronic pain can be caused by a variety of factors, including injury, illness, or ongoing health conditions such as arthritis or fibromyalgia.
Chronic pain can manifest in many different ways, from constant aches and pains to sharp, shooting sensations. It can be difficult to describe and often varies in intensity from day to day. Chronic pain can also significantly impact mental health, leading to anxiety, depression, and other emotional issues.
The Benefits of Guided Meditation
Guided meditation is a form of meditation that involves listening to an instructor or recorded voice who guides you through a specific meditation practice. It is a popular form of meditation, particularly for beginners, as it provides structure and support.
Guided meditation has many benefits, including:
Reducing stress and anxiety
Improving sleep quality
Increasing feelings of relaxation and calm
Reducing symptoms of depression
Improving overall wellbeing
Types of Guided Meditation
There are many different types of guided meditation, each with their own focus and intention. Some of the most common types of guided meditation include:
Body scan meditation: a practice that involves focusing on each part of the body, from head to toe, and noticing any sensations or feelings that arise.
Loving-kindness meditation: a practice that involves cultivating feelings of love, kindness, and compassion towards oneself and others.
Visualization meditation: a practice that involves creating a mental image or scenario, such as a peaceful beach or a calming forest, and focusing on that image to promote relaxation.
Breathing meditation: a practice that involves focusing on the breath and using it as a tool to calm the mind and body.
How Guided Meditation Helps with Chronic Pain
Guided meditation can be a powerful tool in managing chronic pain. By focusing the mind on the present moment, guided meditation can help to reduce feelings of anxiety and stress, which can exacerbate pain. Guided meditation can also help reduce pain perception, allowing individuals to better cope with their symptoms.
Studies have shown that guided meditation can be effective in reducing chronic pain. A 2016 study published in the Journal of Pain Research found that mindfulness meditation, a type of guided meditation, was effective in reducing pain intensity and pain-related distress in individuals with chronic pain. Another study published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine found that guided meditation was effective in reducing pain intensity and improving mood in individuals with fibromyalgia.
I cannot begin to tell you how much it's helped ME since I started using guided meditation. It's been a significant help for my pain levels and my overall mental health as welll!
Guided Meditation Techniques for Chronic Pain
If you are interested in using guided meditation to manage chronic pain, there are a few techniques that may be particularly helpful:
Body scan meditation: This technique can be particularly helpful for those with chronic pain, as it allows individuals to focus on each part of the body and notice any sensations or feelings that arise. By bringing awareness to the body, individuals can better understand their pain and learn to manage it more effectively.
Breathing meditation: This technique can be helpful in reducing stress and anxiety, which can exacerbate pain. By focusing on their breathing, individuals can calm their minds and promote relaxation.
Visualization meditation: This technique can be helpful in reducing pain perception by promoting relaxation and shifting attention away from the source of the pain. Imagining a peaceful scene or scenario can help to reduce stress and promote feelings of calm.
There are many more meditation techniques out there, but I'm just dropping these here for you now to help get you started on your OWN research!
Guided Meditation Apps and Resources
There are many guided meditation apps and resources available online that can help you get started with using guided meditation. I am also available! I'm a Certified Meditation Coach and Facilitator. I can work with you one on one via Zoom meetings. In the near future, I will be offering GROUP sign-ups for a one-session guided group meditation. When I host group sessions, it's a good way for you to see that you aren't alone. We know other people hurt too, in the back of our minds. But when you're in a flare, it's easy to lose sight of that and start feeling as if no one else could ever understand. With a group session, you can see and talk to other people in your exact same spot. You can also hear just how much-guided meditation is helping, by chatting in the group with people who have experienced the help of guided meditation!
You can reach out to me to book your personal guided meditation session by DM'ing me on IG @Amymullholand or on FB: facebook.com/Amymullholand70
Additional Ways to Manage Chronic Pain
While guided meditation can be an effective tool in managing chronic pain, it is important to explore other treatment options as well. Some additional ways to manage chronic pain include:
Physical therapy
Acupuncture
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Medication
Exercise
As an NLP Practioner, I incorporate CBT techniques along with NLP practices to help control chronic pain and flare-ups. If you're interested in my services as an NLP Practioner don't hesitate to reach out to me!
Success Stories: Real People Who Found Relief Through Guided Meditation
There are many stories of individuals who have found relief from chronic pain through guided meditation. One such story is that of Sarah, a woman who had been dealing with chronic pain for years. After trying various medications and treatments with little success, Sarah decided to try guided meditation. She began practicing daily, using a body scan meditation technique, and noticed a significant reduction in her pain levels. She also found that her overall mood and well-being improved.
Another success story comes from John, a man who had been dealing with chronic pain due to a back injury. John had tried various treatments, including medication and physical therapy, but had not found relief. After starting a daily guided meditation practice, John noticed a significant reduction in his pain levels and an improvement in his overall mood and well-being.
My Closing Thoughts
Guided meditation can be a powerful tool in managing chronic pain, helping individuals to find relief, reduce stress, and improve overall well-being. By incorporating guided meditation into your pain management plan, you can take a proactive approach to manage your symptoms and improving your quality of life. Whether you are new to meditation or an experienced practitioner, there are many resources available to help you get started.
I have personally been down the road of doctor and specialist after doctor and specialist. Prescription drug that didn't work after prescription drug that didn't work. I finally started really looking into alternative therapies. I read and researched. Even though I had heard of CBT techniques for chronic pain ...and even attempted to apply a CBT technique to my life that I ran across in a magazine article, I didn't do it right. It didn't help. I wasn't fully vested at the time in making sure I was doing it right. Seeking help. After doing my due diligence and really researching everything, reading one trial after another, I started applying multiple alternative therapies to my life. I was shocked at how much they actually helped me! -Relieved, but truly shocked lol. That is when I KNEW, beyond a doubt, that I was supposed to learn as much as I could and gain certifications in these fields so that I'd be able to help so many more people than I already have through the years. This was just the next logical step for me to take, building upon my blog and my burning desire to help other people!
I'm closing out now, hoping that if you haven't given alternative therapies such as guided meditation, NLP practices, CBT techniques, etc a try that you will now be open to it! Even if you have tried it in the past without successful results, give it a try again! My youngest daughter, who's 27 now, had tried guided meditation a few years ago for her anxiety and it didn't help right off the bat, so she gave up on it. She went back to it a few months ago and now she can't go a single day without listening to a guided meditation. Usually, she does one a couple of times a day. Not only has it relieved her anxiety, but it's also helped her insomnia a ton, too! She keeps saying how grateful she is that she gave guided meditation another try lol.
