Although pain is an unpleasant experience, it is an important and sometimes helpful defense mechanism of the human body. The troubling sensation alerts your mind to physical danger, which then prompts you to move away from scalding heat, sharp objects, and a variety of other risks to your health and well-being. Ideally, the pain ceases once you remove the underlying cause. Unfortunately, physical discomfort can be ongoing and seemingly inescapable.
For those who suffer from chronic diseases and conditions, such as cancer, fibromyalgia, ulcers and arthritis, physical pain can become an unbearable aspect of everyday life. Because this also interferes with the person’s ability to complete ordinary tasks and socialize with others, it can then lead to anxiety, irritability and depression. While this pain may in fact be terminal, meditation can help one overlook and cope with both the physical and mental anguish.
When you meditate, you concentrate on the stillness and serenity within you. As you control the pace and depth of your breathing—thus initiating your body’s relaxation response—your mind becomes more receptive to this method of tuning out all other thoughts and sensations.
As you progress in the practice of meditation, you gain a better understanding of your personal control over pain management. While escape from all discomfort is ideal, and temporarily possible, absolute denial of the pain’s existence can make it all the more intolerable when it appears or worsens. Meditation helps you accept that the pain is in fact real and a part of your being—but that it is not in complete control of you.
Rather than entirely removing the pain from your body, meditation allows you to momentarily detach yourself from it. Your mind is able to visualize a scene in which your inner energy removes the impenetrable shield that surrounds your pain. As the shell breaks, your positive energy flows through the wounded area, soothing and releasing the distress within. By gradually enhancing your power of concentration and visualization, you train your mind to focus away from the pain or distress—and toward the comfort, peace and happiness within you and your life.
   
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