Rice Business Report July 2019 July 2019 Rice Business report4zzzzxzzzxxz | Page 6

Use Mindfulness to Relieve Suffering Without Painkillers
By Kevin Schoeninger
Can you imagine going to the dentist for a root canal and not needing anesthesia?
Or being able to bounce back from the loss of a loved one without re-living the
suffering day after day? While these may seem like dramatically different scenari-
os, they have one thing in common-the ability to free yourself from the suffering
usually tied to pain. In this article, you'll learn how
Most of us grow up learning that pain is something to avoid. We have whole industries based on this
premise. From painkillers like OxyContin and Percocet, to mood drugs like Xanax, Prozac, and Valium,
doctors hand out prescriptions like candy to help us deal with physical or mental-emotional pain.
Let's be clear, these drugs can provide welcome relief when needed. They can be useful in the short
term. However, they are poor long-term solutions. Used as solutions, they end up covering up, perpet-
uating, and exacerbating the cause of your pain rather than addressing, resolving, and healing it
What if you have an innate ability to transform how you relate to pain that not only releases you from
suffering, but also heals the cause of your pain itself? Let's explore two fascinating insights and a tech-
nique that empowers you to do this
Insight #1: Pain is a Messenger
Let's begin by revising a basic premise around pain. What if instead of pain being something to avoid,
it's a signal alerting you to pay closer attention? What if the purpose of pain is to acknowledge some-
thing and take action on it? What if pain carries important messages?
If this is so, then, instead of distracting yourself from pain or killing it, it's important to acknowledge it,
turn toward it, and seek to understand what it is asking you to do.
Now, in the case of physical injuries, this may seem straightforward. For example, if you cut yourself
while dicing vegetables, it hurts, and this signals you to clean the wound, apply pressure to stop the
bleeding, and use a bandage. With a minor cut, this is probably all that's required.
Yet, you might also make a mental note to slow down and be more mindful when cutting veggies in
the future. Maybe you'd been rushing around feeling the stress of too much to do and not enough
time. If so, you might also acknowledge your need to prioritize-to let go of what is not so important
and focus on what is, so you can take your time and be more mindful about what you're doing
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