Wired into Pain

Pain is a real feeling, but that feeling does not necessarily reflect real damage in the body. Further, although pain depends on brain activity for its existence, this does not mean you can simply think pain away or that pain is your fault. Unfortunately, the processes which create pain are mostly unconscious and outside your control.

Thus, pain is a conscious experience created by the brain, not a damaged condition of the body. You can have one without the other.

When you pay attention to your pain mindfully, you’re observing it without fear. Neuroscientists have shown that mindfulness increases feelings of safety by deactivating the brain’s fear circuits. This disrupts the pain-fear cycle and helps your brain interpret signals properly.