Lay down in a quiet room. Turn off any distractions and reduce any exterior factors that may over-stimulate you. You may choose to close your eyes or focus them on a specific point. Try to focus on nothing but inhalation and exhalation. If you can realize that you are in control of your body and take charge of your own breathing, you may be better able to prevent the pain from controlling you. Once you are breathing deeply, muscle relaxation may come naturally. Try to let go of all feeling in your body and remain focused only on breathing. Women practicing Lamaze breathing techniques in childbirth are utilizing the benefits of controlling breathing to lessen pain. [2] X Research source
Progressive relaxation has been shown to be an effective form of muscle relaxation that requires no external stimuli. [3] X Research source Begin with your toes, then work you way up through the muscles in the rest of the body until you reach your face. For each muscle, first slowly contract the muscle, then relax it, waiting until it is fully released before moving upward. When your mind alone fails to bring muscle relation, consider adding pressure point therapy. Research shows that finding pressure points associated with your specific type of pain and compressing them with your fingers reduces muscle tension, thereby alleviating pain. Be careful not to continue activating a pressure point if it seems to be worsening your pain when you remove your fingers, however.
A common successful form of visualization involves imaging all of the sensations association with being in a warm bathtub or lounging on a beach. [5] X Research source Research suggests that both the sacred and the profane provide excellent visualization topics, too. According to one Johns Hopkins study, thinking of a sexual fantasy worked better at reducing pain than thinking of more “vanilla” topics. [6] X Research source For others, focusing on religious or spiritual thoughts worked helped at coping with pain. [7] X Research source Another odd, but effective, visualization topic is food. One University of Wisconsin study found that just thinking about food alleviates pain. [8] X Research source For example, try imagining a decadent dessert or your favorite Sunday dinner.
Try “disassociation” (imagining that the painful part of your body is separate from the rest of your body, far away from your mind). [9] X Research source Consider visualizing your pain as a giant blob, a loud noise, or a bright light. The trick is to imagine that you are gradually reducing the irritating quality of the symbol — shrinking the size of the blob, making the noise quiet, or dimming the light. As you reduce that irritation, you’ll reduce the irritation caused by your pain. [10] X Research source You might also imagine the feeling of a numbing agent, like Novocain, being injected into the source of your pain. [11] X Research source
Instead of thinking about your aching head or burning hands, for example, focus on your feet. [12] X Research source Consider all of the sensations that you usually ignore and give them your focus. Pay attention to the texture of your socks. Wiggle your toes and feel them rub against one another. In short, “tune in” to all of the sensation that you normally “tune out” because you’re primary focus is on your pain.
Begin simply, with brief sessions of 10 or 15 minutes so that the practice does not seem too overwhelming or burdensome. [17] X Research source Sit in a comfortable position on the floor (or in a chair if your pain limits your ability to sit on the floor). Pay attention to your deep, measured breathing, and focus on an object or on mentally repeating a soothing or uplifting phrase (this is called a mantra). It may take a bit of practice to get the hang of meditation, but it is a powerful way to decrease the intensity of chronic pain. If you’re still struggling to mediate, audio guides to mindfulness meditation are available for free from Ronald Siegel, and assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. [18] X Research source For a short-term dose of meditation’s benefits, say a mantra by itself. Repeating a mantra for as little as thirty seconds has ben shown to reduce pain. [19] X Research source Many experts suggest picking a neutral or positive work, but research also shows that, for some suffers of pain, shouting a curse word actually works better than saying a neutral word![20] X Research source
Laughter, in particular, has been shown to reduce pain by releasing endorphins. [22] X Research source So going to the comedy club or seeing your favorite comedy film might, quite literally, be a form of medicine. Listening to music is another activity shown to be especially successful in helping people with chronic pain. Studies have shown that listening to music as little as one hour a day reduces chronic pain. Music decreases pain and feelings of depression while increasing the listener’s sense of power. Studies show that “pleasing” music, in particular, offers the most pain reduction.
Making plans with family and friends can boost your mood and distract you from your pain. In fact, simply thinking of friends and family reduces pain. Studies show that viewing pictures of loved ones, such as romantic partners, increases the body’s resistance to pain. [23] X Research source
There’s no “right” type of creative activity. Go for the hobby that interests you most, whether its painting, knitting, beading, or anything else. For example, writing has also been shown to reduce pain. One of the most effective methods is to write for 15 minutes before bed, putting any worries or concerns down on paper so that you can remove them from your mind and allow yourself to get restful sleep.
According to the American Psychological Association, hypnosis designed to decrease pain — known as “hypno-analgesia” — has been shown to be effective in controlled experiments. Psychologists can help reduce chronic pain in other ways, too, such as through the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. [25] X Research source
When we experience pain, our instinct is to focus on it and judge its severity, both of which can only make the pain worse and contribute to related anxiety and depression. In this way, our mind can significantly amplify our “primary pain” (the actual injury) by adding “secondary pain” (our thoughts about the injury, which amplify the pain).
“Mindfulness” techniques have been shown to help reduce chronic pain by as much as 57 percent. [31] X Research source While the biological effects of mindfulness are still being studied, some of its benefits are already clear. For example, mindfulness has been shown decrease the levels of stress hormones in the body, allowing the body to more efficiently focus on fighting inflammation. Beyond mindfulness’s direct effects on pain, it can boost your mood. Studies show that individuals with chronic pain often understandably also succumb to chronic negative thinking and depression. Mindfulness, however, can reduce depression and increase positive thinking.
For example, instead of picking up your cup of coffee or tea and drinking without thinking, pay attention to the texture of the cup, its weight, and the shape of the handle. Note the feeling of the cup on your lips. Let the sip of liquid linger on your tongue, paying attention to the flavors. [33] X Research source Search for more everyday opportunities to be mindful. When you brush you teeth, pay attention to the sensation, rather than letting yourself think about your job — or your pain — as you brush . [34] X Research source One common mindfulness technique that can be used in everyday life is sensory isolation. Instead of letting yourself be bombarded by every sensation — including pain — focus on one of your senses, such as sound. Focus on all of the sounds around you. Listen for small sounds that you usually ignore. [35] X Research source The key in everyday mindfulness is to more fully experience a detail in life that’s not your pain. These small moments of mindfulness can help alleviate symptoms of pain at times, such as when you’re at work, that you can’t give your full attention to relaxation or mediation.
