Pain, Discomfort, and Unpleasantness as our Guide (Mindfulness Script)

• Begin this mindfulness by connecting with your breath, settling into your mindfulness posture, and becoming aware of the sensations in your body.

• Focus on breathing diaphragmatically, allowing your abdomen to rise and fall with each inhale and exhale. Allow each breath to expand your awareness of your body, noticing the sensations of your body expanding out to the top of your head, tips of your fingers, and bottoms of feet.

• Take a moment to notice if you are currently experiencing any emotional, physical, or spiritual unpleasantness, discomfort, or pain. If you do notice any of these sensations, focus your breath and awareness here. Refrain from judgements and simply become a comforting and curious friend of this sensation. Try not to magnify or diminish the pain, discomfort, or unpleasantness you’re experiencing- just stay with it.

• To help stay present with your pain experience in the here and now, I invite you to visualize this pain being gathered into a white cloud right next to you. Perhaps another, more fitting, object for you comes to mind to personify your pain experience that you would like to use.

• Once you have identified an object to visually represent your pain, focus on staying grounded in your body through the breath and notice what it is like to be a witness to your pain.

• Continue to bring your attention back to witnessing and being present with your pain. Feel yourself surrendering to its experience.

• If it feels right- as you sink deeper into surrender to the pain with each breath, visualize yourself putting your arm around the pain to compassionately acknowledge its presence. This pain is next to you. You did not want it here, though you realize being its friend will cause you less suffering than being its enemy.

•  As your arm is wrapped around the pain, the pain extends an arm to you, inviting you to shake its hand. This handshake is symbolizing the pain’s desire to be your guide, not an enemy.

• As you take on this new relationship with your pain, consider- what is your pain trying to tell you? What can you learn from it?

• When you make friends with your pain, you make friends with yourself. How can you befriend yourself, give yourself compassion, amidst the pain?

• Bring your awareness back to your body, allowing your breath to extend your awareness to all ends of your being. Notice if this new perspective of pain, caused any shifts in your body sensations

• As you wrap up this mindfulness, identify a piece of this mindfulness visualization you would like to take with you in your day to help remind you of the transforming relationship you are creating with your pain- perhaps it is the handshake, the arm around the pain, or just the tenderness of being with yourself in compassion.