Mindfulness practice involves full - not just mental - engagement with reality. We gradually learn to allow ourselves to feel the physical sensations (physical processing) of what's here & now, even when it's uncomfortable, without trying to escape to theories, stories, etc. We become curious about physical reality, and let go of spinning stories about it. (Catastrophizing involves conceptual processing.) Though we're used to avoidance, it doesn't work. Though we're not used to exploring the physical dimensions of discomfort, this mindful, accepting approach works surprisingly well.
"Approaching the pain itself, wherever it is most prominent in the body, with bare attention, open-heartedness, and alert interest even for very brief moments, if that is all that we can muster in any moment, can be profoundly healing, restorative, and illuminating. And if practiced over days, weeks, and months, potentially it can make a difference in the quality of your life for years and years going forward. What we are talking about is really befriending your experience at the level of the body and at the level of the mind & heart, and seeing what unfolds.” Jon Kabat-Zinn
Gardner-Nix, J. “The mindfulness solution to pain. Step-by-step techniques for chronic pain management.” New Harbinger Publications Inc, Oakland CA, 2009.
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