One way of
looking at suffering is that it is created by the combination of pain - either
physical or emotional - and an overlay of causality and blame.
In other words it is possible that pain can
trigger our internal Bullies! These
learned and internalized scolding 'voices' then sink us into a morass of despair.
One of the most
beautifully comforting songs about releasing oneself from this suffering was
written by Leonard Cohen in 1967. To
hear all the lyrics: Sisters
of Mercy - Leonard Cohen - YouTube
O the sisters of mercy they are
not
Departed or gone,
They were waiting for me when I thought
That I just can't go on,
And they brought me their comfort
And later they brought me this song.
O I hope you run into them
You who've been traveling so long. . .
If your life is a leaf
That the seasons tear off and condemn
They will bind you with love
That is graceful and green as a stem.
When I left they were sleeping,
I hope you run into them soon.
Don't turn on the light
You can read their address by the moon. . .
DANCE WITH IT! EXPERIENTIAL APPS
An opportunity to
experiment with some fun
ideas...
6 REMEDIES TO DISPEL SUFFERING
1) Remove guilty feelings by
confronting your Bully voice (the 'I must have done something to cause this' part of you)
2) Allow your inner Victim (that 'feeling sorry for yourself' part that we all have) a few minutes of air time and then banish
it from your kingdom!
3) Allow your inner Rebel ( that 'third
finger waving' part of all of us) a good 5 minutes of ranting - but watch out
for Rebel re-action!
4) Empower yourself - Do some
research, ask questions, name the pain - take some steps - try meditation, write a
poem, sing a song, anything pro-active sends a new set of messages along your
neuro-pathways. Might not make the pain go away but definitely
can reduce suffering!
5) Try visualization (really not
so different from self-hypnosis). Have inflammation? Imagine the area as large and bright red, now
send icy blue images to overlay the area and shrink that swelling - an Arctic ice
floe would do the trick - you can even throw in a penguin or two for comic
relief, and yes -
6) - anything you do to create
a smile definitely reduces suffering!
Remember: check in for that
wonderful physical clue that it's working … you know a shift is happening if
you automatically find yourself taking a deep breath!
A
VALENTINE'S DAY THOUGHT: REMEMBER THAT
AIRLINE MANDATE:
Put your own O2
mask on first!
Hey, love
yourself!
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