Pain may be unavoidable at times, but suffering—in other words, how we relate to the pain—is optional.
We know that practicing mindfulness can help reduce stress and cultivate deep, embodied well-being—but what about its value in dealing with physical pain and the suffering that ensues when it seems overwhelming or unrelenting?
Jon Kabat-Zinn developed Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) to help medical patients with ongoing chronic pain conditions who were not responding to conventional treatments, including drugs or surgery, to use mindfulness as a formal meditation practice and as a way of being in relationship to experience throughout the day to regulate and attenuate the experience of suffering. Since then, the practices of MBSR have become world-renowned for their effectiveness in helping people learn to live and live well with ongoing health challenges, including chronic pain conditions.
With
Mindfulness Meditation for Pain Relief
, Jon guides us through the fundamentals, a series of evidence-based practices that anyone can apply gently and effectively to address even intense forms of pain and suffering, as a complement to whatever medical treatments one might be receiving. Includes audio guidance for all key practices, accessible online and led by the author.
This supportive guide, graced with soothing images and large color-type key elements, includes instruction in mindful breathing, working with intense sensations, befriending thoughts and emotions, taking refuge in awareness, and bringing mindfulness into everyday life as a new way of being.