Pain vs. the Idea of Pain
The mind, being everywhere, is non-local, and through the process of attention we localize it. So if we want something to become our life experience, we put our attention on it. If we dont want something to become our life experience, we take our attention away from it. In fact, the whole mechanics of creation is just that: a certain quality of attention of the self to itself.
Whatever you put your attention on grows stronger in your life. When people experience pain, they try to avoid it or they want to escape from it. And the more they try to do that, the more their attention is on the idea of pain. The idea of pain gets magnified, and of course that creates more pain.
So if you have a headache and you want to get rid of it, then simply be with the headache; be with the pain. Dont analyze, dont interpret, and dont try to judge the pain. Feel the sensation with your full awareness. Put your attention on the sensation, and youll see that it dissipates.
Pure consciousness is a healing force, so when you put your attention on the sensation, consciousness gets into it and saturates it with the healing force of life. If, however, you put your attention on the idea of pain, then the pain will become more pronounced.
Adapted from Power, Freedom and Grace by Deepak Chopra (Amber-Allen Publishing Inc., 2006).
