Many of us may have undergone some minor or major medical operation in our lives which involved the use of an anesthetic to numb the pain. We may be happily oblivious of what transpired during the operation, but it is possible these procedures have side effects and unknown risks, could be expensive, and may not always be the best option for all people. Are there simpler ways of managing pain by just deepening our understanding of the human system?
While feeling pain plays an important role in our survival, it also causes a lot of suffering, which we can certainly live without. We may have heard of monks who raise their body temperature through meditation practices and manage to live comfortably even in severe chilly weather [1]. Similarly, modern science has recently been looking at the mechanics of how the brain or the mind perceives pain, and findings may be significant for us in being able to improve the quality of our lives [2].
There is no solid consensus yet in findings by modern science regarding how individuals might use the mind to mitigate pain, but it does seem clear that our expectations play a part in how intensely we perceive pain. We do know that when reality does not meet our expectations we do experience some emotional pain. Could physical pain have similar attributes? Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could shut off pain even partially? Are both the experience of pain and pain relief something constructed by the mind? A huge population would be ecstatic if they could relieve themselves of pain through simple natural methods. Perhaps the study of yoga might lead to better understandings of providing pain relief to people who really need it.
Listen to Sadhguru elaborate on how a deeper understanding of the neurological system may lead us to find better techniques to manage pain. It is bound to spark our interest to dive deeper to learn more about the pain management system in the body.
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