The Pain Companion Blog: insights and resources for moving beyond chronic pain

Feeling Invisible? Let's talk...

10/3/2021

Living in chronic pain, I spent a lot of time withdrawing into myself. I didn't want to talk about my pain all the time, I didn't want to have to explain myself (why I couldn't do things) over and over again, I didn't want to worry other people, and I didn't want to have to hear their advice (usually not very helpful) over and over again. So, I learned to stop talking about my pain.

The only problem was, my silence contributed to a loss of a sense of self.

It felt like I was disappearing inside my pain. My pain was invisible to others and, over time, I felt like I was becoming invisible myself.

This lead to even greater feelings of alone-ness and isolation in my pain and, in the long run, wasn't the healthiest option. I had to learn how to share my pain, who I could (and should) share my story with, and how much.

Keeping your pain to yourself solves some problems, but creates others. In the video, Do You Feel Invisible in Chronic Pain? I talk about these issues and make suggestions for how to balance your silence and your sharing in ways that will be more supportive of your healing.

This isChapter 11 of The Pain Companion: Invisibility and Silence and you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/qGrkrh92gHM

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Healing Chronic Pain on Your Own Terms

9/6/2021

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An atmosphere of compassion and loving self-care is key to finding your own way through pain to full healing. Too often we blame ourselves and our bodies for being in pain, and we may forget that the body is crying out for compassion, caring, and tenderness.

You can gently shift your perception and experience of the pain in your body using intention, active imagination, and guided imagery. Starting with right where you are (and right where the pain is now), you can gently allow the pain to relax and release as you learn to relax and release the body areas around the pain, and holding the pain.

Try playing with breath, allowing the pain more space to breathe, exploring breathing into the pain-free space around the pain (even if it seems to be outside the body). You can also imagine what the pain would look like if it were sitting across from you and begin an imaginary conversation with it. What is your pain asking of you?

To help you explore these ideas, I've created a free, 11-minute self-healing meditation that takes you through a step by step process to change your perception and experience of the pain in your body. Making any small change in your experience of pain at all helps you realize that more change can come and, with it, more healing. Use this self-healing meditation any time you want to feel a shift in your relationship to pain, be it chronic or short-term, and the level of pain in your body. The more you use this guided pain-relief meditation, the more effective it becomes.

I hope you find it useful. You can find it on The Pain Companion YouTube Channel HERE.

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The Loneliness of Chronic Pain

8/12/2021

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One of the first things we do when we're in pain is contract. We contract our body around the pain, and we also contract our lives.

We are often not able to interact with others socially at the same level we have been used to, nor do we want to. We withdraw into ourselves as a natural response to pain, in order to heal.

But when we're living with chronic pain, pulling away from social gatherings and friendly interactions often leads to feelings of immense loneliness and isolation.

In my latest 10-minute video, I read from The Pain Companion, Chapter 10 on Loneliness and Isolation which talks about how to mitigate the loneliness of living with chronic pain without having to wait to be healed to feel part of life again.

Many of my suggestions are simple and easy to implement, but often overlooked by those of us in pain because

we didn't think we would be in pain this long, so haven't adjusted our social lives
we don't have a whole lot of energy and brain power to think of these solutions for ourselves.

It is my hope that this little video may give you an idea or two that you can feel good about implementing which will help you feel more connected to your friends and life in general. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/SlZSQ9fcPsA

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1-Minute Meditation for Relieving Chronic Pain: THE ROAD

7/29/2021

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We all need support in living with chronic pain and finding ways to feel better emotionally and psychologically while still living with our conditions.

The Road is a 1-minute video from a series of guided meditations.

The Road
Today, I am one day closer to healing,
In ways I may not yet understand.
I am a day wiser,
a day further down the road,
a day nearer to whatever it takes to get to the other side....

Beautiful words, images, and music give chronic pain sufferers a moment of renewed hope and inspiration for healing, and the support and compassion needed to carry on.

Use as a visual boost and moment of renewal again and again throughout the day to relieve depression, sadness, and anxiety brought about by living with chronic pain.

Sarah Anne Shockley's meditation videos offer a healing balm for viewers living with chronic pain, whether from fibromyalgia, neuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, lower back pain, migraines, shingles, joint pain, or any other type of chronic condition.

SUBSCRIBE to The Pain Companion channel for the whole series.

Watch THE ROAD

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Fear & Chronic Pain Go Hand-in-Hand

7/24/2021

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We all face fear when we're living in chronic pain. Many of us suffer from panic attacks in the night due to the incredible stress and anxiety we experience living with constant pain and an uncertain future.

In my new 9-minute video, How to Overcome the Fear, Anxiety & Stress of Living in Chronic Pain, I read from The Pain Companion, Chapter Nine: Fear, Anxiety, and Stress. I explain the Fear Protocol that I developed for myself step by step so that you can use it over and over again, as needed. The Fear Protocol is a simple, practical technique to use when experiencing any level of anxiety or fear.

Subscribe to The Pain Companion on YouTube to catch all Sarah's videos.

The Pain Companion: Everyday Wisdom for Living With and Moving Beyond Chronic Pain is available at all fine booksellers. https://amzn.to/3j2TLeS

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Welcome to The Pain Companion Blog! Reflections and sound advice on living with chronic pain - a peaceful way station on the path to greater well being.
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