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Talking Wellness with Peter: Dealing with the Underlying Causes of Pain

Dr. Peter Borten shares some important philosophical principles that can make a big difference in your experience of pain. All pain (physical, mental, and emotional) is rooted in some form of stagnation.

Watch this video to learn some valuable tips on how to break out of a pain cycle by minimizing your resistance to the pain, which will open and move stagnation out, and offer you relief.

3 thoughts on “Talking Wellness with Peter: Dealing with the Underlying Causes of Pain”

01 / 10/ 19 | Christina

Thank you that was very helpful. It seems like everything comes back to the breath!! Not resisting what is and breathing into where stagnation seems to be present. ☀️ Your examples of stagnation and the simple way you spoke are the perfect start to my day today.

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01 / 10/ 19 | Cathy Seilhan

Thank you, Dr. Borden, for this message. It rings so very true. I will endeavor to pass this on to others.

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01 / 11/ 19 | Susan

I enjoyed being a student in your Dragontree “Live Pain Free Course”. This video is a timely reminder. I also appreciate that I can go back and review your video lessons at will. I have retold some of the stories from your Course many times. The snake bite comes to mind. Teaching via parables makes depths of lessons stick. (Snake/stick…* smile)

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Let Me Teach You How to Erase Your Own Pain Without Drugs

Sources: 1: Shah A., Hayes C. J., Martin B.C. Characteristics of Initial Prescription Episodes and Likelihood of Long-Term Opioid Use — United States, 2006–2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2017;66:265–269. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6610a1 2: Edlund, M. J., Martin, B. C., Russo, J. E., DeVries, A., Braden, J. B., & Sullivan, M. D. (2014). The role of opioid prescription in incident opioid abuse and dependence among individuals with chronic noncancer pain: the role of opioid prescription. The Clinical journal of pain, 30(7), 557-64. 3: Grissa, M. H., et al. Acupuncture vs intravenous morphine in the management of acute pain in the ED. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, Volume 34 , Issue 11 , 2112 – 2116. [post_title] => Live Pain Free [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => live-pain-free [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2020-01-09 10:06:29 [post_modified_gmt] => 2020-01-09 10:06:29 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://thedragontree.com/?p=7201 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw [webinar_id] => 0 ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 6631 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2017-03-29 17:42:32 [post_date_gmt] => 2017-03-29 17:42:32 [post_content] => Years ago, a woman in her 70s came to see me with a long list of health problems. It seemed there was something wrong with almost every area of her life. As I listened to sound of defeat in her voice as she described the misery she was experiencing, I noticed myself think, “What a mess.” And I realized I was feeling her misery in myself, in my own body. I also realized I was helping to perpetuate her situation. I know we’re crossing into woo-woo territory here, but hear me out. Built into virtually any longstanding pain or health problem is a secondary factor – one’s resistance to the experience. The resistance can both magnify the issue and cause it to become more firmly anchored in us. And even though she probably wasn’t conscious of it, I was validating that resistance by sending a subtle negative communication: “I resist your problems, too. I’m uncomfortable just imagining what your life is like. And just as you don’t accept this facet of your experience, neither do I.” At the time I was studying a form of healing called Sat Nam Rasayan which entails the healer entering a meditative state wherein any sense of separation or resistance disappears. As one welcomes all perception, internal and external – thoughts, smells, sounds, feelings, tastes, images, etc. – an experience of equalization occurs. The “quiet” perceptions – a hidden thought, the air moving across one’s skin, a distant scent – come up in volume. And the “loud” perceptions – a prominent thought, a fire engine passing by, a sharp pain, a strongly scented detergent – come down in volume. All things meet in the middle, in an experience of deeply peaceful, neutral oneness, and there, healing happens. So, when I noticed my resistance to this woman’s story, I relaxed. I accepted all of her and I accepted the feelings that arose in me as she spoke, and all the others in the room, from the sun streaming through the skylight to the ticking of the clock to the feeling of my clothes on my body, plus numerous other smells, thoughts, tastes, and feelings. I allowed it all to equalize into a sort of perceptual flatline, and I experienced a sense of expansion of the space within and around us. And then she changed. She stopped talking for a moment, blinked, and took a deep breath. Then her voice had a different, stronger quality to it as she said, “You know, I’m going to get healthy again. Tell me what to do.” Usually I restrain myself from prescribing a total life overhaul because it’s simply too much for most people to implement at once. And if they dive in and then fail, it may hurt their ability to trust themselves and undermine future efforts toward healthy change. But in this case, I felt daring. I laid out all the things I thought she should change, from diet to sleep to her relationship with her adult children. Months passed and she didn’t return. I wondered if my treatment didn’t work, or if I pushed her too hard, or if she had died. Hey, sometimes that’s just where your mind goes. Anyway, eventually, I saw her name in the appointment book and I was eager to hear what happened. It was one of the most dramatic transformations I’ve ever seen in a patient. She was a new woman. Her eyes were clear and sharp, her voice was strong, she sat up straight and looked confident and youthful. I asked her, “Were you able to make any of the changes I recommended?” “All of them,” she replied. And that was pretty much that. I saw her a few more times for minor things, but she just didn’t need me. Of course, we can assume that her own actions were instrumental in her healing, but I tell you, everything shifted when I chose to hold her differently. Since then, I try to avoid mirroring people’s resistance back to them. I feel the angst of their struggle with unwanted experiences and I work to accept the whole individual, allowing their state to equalize into the broader field of my awareness. I can’t say I always succeed at this or that the result is always miraculous when I do. In fact, I’ve found it’s best not to do it for the result. I just do it because there’s no point in resisting. And because I’d rather see people as I believe they really are – not victims of their circumstances, but powerful and perfect, and temporarily confused about who and what they really are. So, let’s try some more equalization this week. Notice your resistance. Notice others’ resistance. As you perceive it, broaden your perception to include more and more of your total mental and multisensory experience, allowing the field to equalize. Allowing the subtle to come up and the noisy to settle down, everything evening into a still neutrality. Then share your experience here, if you feel like it. Be well, Dr. Peter Borten P.S. If you missed my first article on equalization last week, you can click here to read it. P.P.S. If you’re interested in learning more about this and other approaches for resolving pain of all kinds, check out my new online course, Live Pain Free. [post_title] => The Secret Ways We Help and Hinder Each Other [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => secret-ways-help-hinder [to_ping] => [pinged] => http://www.thedragontree.com/2017/03/21/equalization-technique-resolving-discomfort/ [post_modified] => 2017-03-29 21:06:44 [post_modified_gmt] => 2017-03-29 21:06:44 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://www.thedragontree.com/?p=6631 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 16 [filter] => raw [webinar_id] => 0 ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 6627 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2017-03-21 15:48:01 [post_date_gmt] => 2017-03-21 15:48:01 [post_content] => The other day, an adventurous friend of mine sent me a picture of himself immersed in slurry of icy water. The photo was taken on a rooftop, on a cloudy winter day, with empty ice bags scattered around the metal tub. His eyes were closed and he looked serene, as if in deep meditation. If you took a photo of me in such a scenario, my facial expression would be a little different – more of a blend of shock and torment. Having a strong aversion to cold water, I’d need a tremendous incentive to voluntarily get into an ice bath. But as I stared at his picture for a while, I felt unease, fascination, and admiration. It reminded me of my own work in pain management. When a cold stimulus passes a certain threshold, it becomes “noxious cold,” which is interpreted by the brain as pain. Figuring out how to stay comfortable in a tub of ice water is fairly similar to the task of managing severe pain without drugs, which is exactly what I endeavor to teach people. The arrival of my friend’s picture was a bit of a coincidence as I was recently challenging myself in cold water also. Admittedly, the comparison is laughable, since my version of “challenge” was swimming in a cenote fed by an underground river in the Belizean jungle. The water temperature was probably around 60 degrees, but cold is subjective, and to me, it was pretty uncomfortable. My daughter was already splashing around and demanding that I join her, so I decided to put my “equalization” technique to the test. I set a foot in the water and felt the skin over my whole body tighten up. I was immediately aware of the inequality – the conflict – between my body and the water. And my reaction to this conflict was physical and psychological resistance, which only intensified the situation. If you’ve ever had a panic attack, you’ve experienced firsthand how unhelpful resistance is. So, my first step was to stop resisting. And to prove to myself that I wasn’t resisting, I dove completely underwater. Instantly, the experience of conflict between my body and the water was magnified tremendously. I put my attention on my skin – the “frontier” of the conflict – and began to equalize the internal with the external. As I told myself, “Equalize. Equalize. Equalize,” I imagined that the temperature difference between the interior and exterior of my body was getting smaller and smaller. The interior and exterior were coming together to meet each other, to harmonize. I actively let go of my resistance over and over, softening and relaxing that frontier. Dissolving the conflict. Normally, I would have been shivering, teeth chattering, skin covered in goosebumps for at least a minute and perhaps for as long as I stayed in the water. But this time I was at ease within about fifteen seconds and I swam contentedly for about an hour. I had a few moments when I felt uncomfortably cold again, but this resolved when I brought my attention back to equalizing the temperature differential once more. I’ll write more about this process next week, but in the meantime, I encourage you to try it in the simple way that I’ve presented it here. When you experience physical discomfort or outright pain, first, stop resisting. Second, visualize the painful place in your body in the context of the experience surrounding it, and intend to equalize the experience inside the pain with that outside the pain. You can also utilize this technique with a psychological or emotional issue by bringing the issue to mind and then allowing yourself to experience it in your body – there’s always a physical expression to every psychological conflict. Imagine a fish tank with a removable panel dividing it into two sides. On one side the water is dyed blue; on the other it’s clear. If you shift the panel it becomes porous, and the two waters mix, resulting in an even color. See if you can apply this image to your inner experience, allowing for an equalization between a restricted part of yourself and your greater self, or between yourself and the world around you. See what happens. Be well, Dr. Peter Borten P.S. If you’d like to learn more about equalization and many, many, many more techniques for resolving physical and emotional pain, check out my new online course, Live Pain Free. [post_title] => The Equalization Technique for Resolving Discomfort [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => equalization-technique-resolving-discomfort [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2017-03-21 18:36:31 [post_modified_gmt] => 2017-03-21 18:36:31 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://www.thedragontree.com/?p=6627 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 13 [filter] => raw [webinar_id] => 0 ) ) [post_count] => 3 [current_post] => -1 [in_the_loop] => [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 7201 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2018-12-13 17:43:12 [post_date_gmt] => 2018-12-13 17:43:12 [post_content] => Last year a disabled veteran came to see me for help with back pain. As we talked about his history, a familiar story arose. He got injured, experienced a lot of discomfort, was prescribed opioid painkillers by a Prescription Doctor, but how he overused them. He described how his journey through his addiction treatment center and how, for several years, “I lost my personality and my life. I was barely a human.” He lived in a numb haze, with no sense of humor or interest in anything, until a new doctor specializing in recovery treatment for all levels of addiction, finally recognized what was happening and began to wean him off these drugs. Much of the pain remained, but we were able to work on that. More importantly, he got his life back, and his friends and family got him back. The familiar part of the story is the widespread long-term use of opioids and the unfortunate consequences. The uncommon part is that he got off of them. A 2017 study by the Centers for Disease Control called “Characteristics of Initial Prescription Episodes and Likelihood of Long-Term Opioid Use” looked at 1.3 million opioid users over 9 years.¹ It found that the longer the initial prescription period, the higher the likelihood of long-term use. If someone used an opioid for 10 days, there was a 20% chance they’d still be using it a year later. At 35 days, the risk of yearlong use was about 45%. A 2014 study in the Clinical Journal of Pain came to a similar conclusion – the higher the initial dose and the longer the initial use of an opioid, the greater the chance of the patient developing a condition of abuse and dependence.² It’s worth mentioning that both of these studies excluded patients with cancer pain (which is often expected to require ongoing medication, perhaps until death). That is, the great majority of those who were on opiates for several years were using it to manage back pain or joint pain (or to manage their dependency on opiates). Thus, we can assume that the prescribing doctors either didn’t know of an alternative method for pain relief or didn’t care. Do effective non-opioid alternatives exist? In the words of some ancient healer: Hell Yeah! The first modality that comes to my mind, as you might guess from the story above, is acupuncture. Acupuncture is no longer a fringe therapy. Its effectiveness is well supported by clinical research (comparable to opioids in effectiveness³), it’s routinely offered by many hospitals in the U.S., recommended as a standard option for pain management by health systems around the world, and even adopted by the U.S. military (in a form called “battlefield acupuncture”) for severe pain. If acupuncture has been unsuccessful at managing your pain, I advise that it isn’t always an instant miracle. Sometimes it takes several treatments to produce significant, lasting results. Also, practitioners vary in their specialties and level of skill. If you don’t experience any relief after a couple sessions, try someone else – and ask if they specialize in pain. Further, a licensed acupuncturist is almost always going to be more skilled and certainly has more training than a medical doctor or physical therapist who also does acupuncture. While it’s great to receive acupuncture from a professional, it’s also useful to know how to utilize this system to manage pain on your own. Many acupuncture points can provide effective pain relief simply by pressing on them. Especially when traveling, or when needles weren’t available or practical, I’ve often utilized acupressure to successfully eliminate my own pain or that of friends and family. There are specific points for pain in different locations, though one of the most utilized for pain anywhere in the body is called Large Intestine 4, and it’s located in the muscular web between the thumb and index finger. If you press around in this area on the back of the hand, especially directing your pressure toward the hand bone that leads to the index finger (second metacarpal), you will find a tender spot. Pushing firmly on this spot while moving the painful area may alleviate your pain. Mindfulness-based pain management techniques can also be very effective, and they have the added benefits of helping you live more in the present and experience more gratitude. These strategies were pioneered mainly by Jon Kabat-Zinn, and are based loosely on Buddhist meditation. There are numerous books and courses available in his Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) practice. The basis of these techniques is non-avoidance of discomfort – learning not to resist or mentally depart from the experience at hand, but to instead “turn toward” it and explore it willingly, whereupon it ceases to feel like suffering, and may even open us to a whole new dimension of experience. Breathing is another vital practice for self-management of pain. How we breathe can profoundly affect both our mental state and the feelings in our body. I have witnessed people doing breathing exercises which, within a half hour, turned off pain that had persisted for decades. In a way, breathing through pain is similar to mindfulness techniques, in that we’re willingly bringing our attention to the experience. I feel that the power of the breath to reduce pain makes so much sense – it seems like an intelligent plan that we should all be equipped with the means to facilitate our own healing. In the most basic way, you can imagine that, with each inhale and exhale, you’re moving the breath – and energy along with it – through the painful area. After years of teaching these and many other pain relief techniques to my patients, I decided to gather all my knowledge into an online course. In it, I teach a philosophy for understanding pain that will make sense and will illuminate your perspective of what’s happening. And I explain and demonstrate a huge array of methods for eliminating your own pain. As I was creating the course, in fact, the others who were involved in the project kept asking me, “How much more are you planning to include in this?!” But there are so many useful approaches, so many opportunities not just to overcome the pain, but to grow and evolve as a person, and that’s my real goal for participants in the course. My greatest hope is to see fewer and fewer cases like that of my veteran friend – fewer cases of opioid dependence, fewer cases of pain relief at the expense of the joy of life. And more cases of people overcoming pain in ways that are empowering and even help them heal and awaken. If you’re in pain or know someone who is, check out the course. It’s called Live Pain Free. It’s affordable, and you’ll learn things you’ll use for the rest of your life. Be well, Peter

Let Me Teach You How to Erase Your Own Pain Without Drugs