How to Free Your Mind and Soothe Your Chronic Pain: A Journey Within

Explore the power of inner exploration to transform your relationship with pain and find lasting relief.

Photo by Leo_Visions on Unsplash

Have you ever felt like escaping from the pain and the emotions that accompany it?

The truth is, the path to healing isn’t about running away; it’s about diving deep into the landscape of your inner world. This journey isn’t straightforward—it’s more like navigating a dense forest, with moments of sunlight breaking through the canopy and times when you find yourself tangled in thick undergrowth. While we may wish for a smooth, steady path to recovery, like a well-trodden trail, the reality is often filled with unexpected twists and turns.

Our minds are like restless tides, pulling us back to the shores of the past and sweeping us forward to the horizon of the future, all while we’re left standing knee-deep in the waters of the present. One moment, you’re reliving a joyful memory; the next, you’re caught in a spiral of worry about what’s to come. This mental journey can happen both consciously and unconsciously, but it always influences how we experience the present.

In this article, we’ll explore the hidden mechanisms behind these mental shifts and learn how you can harness this ability to build resilience, support your healing, and create a brighter future.

How the Past Shapes Your Present

Our past can become a barrier on the road to healing, especially when old beliefs and protective mechanisms linger long after they’ve outlived their purpose. These emotional habits, forged during childhood, may no longer serve us as adults.

For example, if you were often criticised as a child for making mistakes, you might have developed the belief that you’re incapable of handling life’s challenges. This belief, paired with feelings of shame, can lead to a perfectionist mindset where every action is scrutinised to avoid mistakes at all costs.

When it comes to chronic pain, such beliefs can become especially problematic. They can reinforce the idea that you’re powerless in the face of your pain, trapping you in a cycle of frustration and helplessness. This sense of powerlessness not only drains your confidence but also makes it harder for your body to heal.

Another common struggle is comparing your life before pain to the reality you face now. It’s easy to think, “I used to be so active—how could I ever live freely again?” This kind of thinking can reinforce a belief that things will never change, fostering a sense of hopelessness.

Yet, the brain is capable of remarkable transformation. If your nervous system can generate pain without a clear physical cause, doesn’t that mean it can also learn to stop sending those pain signals?

Holding onto the idea that “I’ve been like this for 20 years, so I’ll never change” is like assuming that a river, which has carved its way through the same channel for years, can’t forge new paths. Yet with enough rain, it can create new tributaries, flowing towards a new destination. Change doesn’t have to be slow; sometimes, the conditions are just right for a rapid shift in direction.

In the same way, your mind can adopt new patterns faster than you might think, especially if you’re open to new ways of thinking.

To shift your relationship with the past, it’s crucial to recognise the emotional triggers that keep old patterns alive. For instance, anniversaries of when your pain began can bring up automatic and intense emotions, causing physical sensations to flare up. These dates, heavy with significance, can stir up memories that amplify your pain.

Similarly, reliving past injustices can spark a loop of anger and sadness, feeding into a vicious cycle where negative emotions fuel pain, and pain feeds those emotions. Recognising these patterns is the first step to breaking free from them.

Memory isn’t a static event; it’s fluid and changeable. Each time you recall a memory, you alter it slightly, like editing a document before saving it again. It’s important to realise that you’re not experiencing your past exactly as it happened—you’re re-living it in the present, with all the emotions and physical sensations that come with it.

Imagine a river carving through a landscape, creating deep grooves over time.Those grooves represent the paths of your past, etched into the terrain of your mind. But just like a river after a storm, you have the ability to create new pathways, flowing towards a different destination. While the old channels remain, you can choose to redirect your energy, creating fresh streams that lead to a new, brighter future.

In much the same way, we can choose to change course, leaving behind the marks of the past while opening ourselves to new horizons. Gradually, the remnants of past experiences can fade away, leaving a clear sky full of possibility.

The Fear of the Future

Chronic pain often brings with it a lingering fear that it will last forever. It’s easy to assume that pain is just a part of growing older, casting a shadow over our future. This mindset can trap us in a cycle of dread, where imagining a pain-free life seems impossible.

You may find yourself thinking, “Pain comes with age,” or “I’ll never be able to plan for the future again.” Such thoughts can magnify your sense of powerlessness and make you feel like you’re spiraling downwards, unable to see a way out.

Imagining the worst-case scenario is a natural reaction; your brain is trying to protect you from potential dangers. But when you dwell too much on these negative possibilities, you end up deepening your distress, creating anxiety that strengthens your brain’s pain pathways.

Breaking free from this cycle means retraining your brain and nervous system. Rather than letting fear dictate your thoughts, focus on sending messages of safety to your body. A powerful way to do this is by envisioning a positive future.

Try this exercise: Picture yourself five years from now, free from pain and living a fulfilling life. What do you see? What sounds surround you? Who is there with you? How does it feel?

Now, invite this future version of yourself to step into the present moment and offer advice. What would they say? Listen, and take their guidance to heart.

This practice is like calling on your “future self” to support your “present self.”

Imagine your future self as a lantern guiding you through a foggy path, each step illuminating the way forward, showing you that beyond the mist lies a clearing filled with possibilities.

It’s a simple yet effective way to interrupt negative spirals and find hope again. The next time you feel overwhelmed by thoughts of a painful future, remember that your future self can be a powerful ally.

Embracing the Present

The key to overcoming chronic pain lies in your ability to accept each moment as it is, without needing to change or escape from it.

As Krishnamurti said, “When you fight a habit, you give it life, and that struggle becomes a new habit.”

Rather than resisting reality, welcome it with kindness—whether it’s a physical sensation, a thought, or an emotion. When you stop fighting, you take away its power.

This approach involves offering yourself unconditional compassion. It’s about acknowledging, “I think the way I think, I feel what I feel, I react the way I’ve learned to react—and that’s okay.” This mindset can break the cycles of guilt, self-criticism, and resistance that keep you trapped in pain.

As Carl Rogers wisely put it, “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”

By starting from a place of unconditional self-love, you open the door to genuine inner peace and growth.

Letting go of rigid mental expectations allows you to anchor your attention in the present.

Imagine the present as a vast, quiet lake. When you stop thrashing in its waters, you can finally float, carried by the gentle current of what is, instead of struggling against it. This kind of mindful presence offers a deep, calm joy that connects you to your true nature—a nature made of peace, lightness, and wholeness.

Cultivating this gentle acceptance of the present is the key to transforming suffering into wisdom. It turns each moment into an opportunity for renewal, where anything is possible.

By embracing your past with understanding, imagining a positive future, and grounding yourself in the present, you can break free from chronic pain. It’s not about escaping from what is—it’s about transforming how you relate to it. And in that shift lies the power to heal, to rediscover hope, and to reclaim your life.

If you’d like support on your journey, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out, and we can have a friendly chat to see if my personalised approach is the right fit for you.