There is a physicality to emotional pain that has huge energetic resonance.
When I first stumbled across the work of Eckhart Tolle and his reference to the personal and collective 'pain-body', it gave words to something I had sensed and experienced but, for me, had remained nameless to that point. It articulated that dormant force within us all that is an accumulation of emotional pain, both inherent in our own stories and inherited from generations before us.
Trauma, hurt and grief live in the dark parts of us that we prefer not to acknowledge. Yet without shadow, the light is far less luminous. It's a contrast thing. These often repressed narratives and turmoil are the very reasons we turn to drink, drugs, over-work, and the mass distraction of social media to numb and seek a higher state. It makes sense to us as an escape route, yet the innocent tendency to go 'out there' in order to reconcile inner anguish is a huge misunderstanding.
Compassionate recognition of the pain-body is a critical part of enabling it to dissolve into the space of our true being.
Much has been written over the years about the female pain body, yet we still talk about the menstrual cycle in either embarrassed tones or even derogatory references. We make light of the associated mood swings, yet this much maligned 'curse' is potentially a portal into a more awakened reality and higher states of consciousness. When pain is accentuated, rage descends or an ache of compressed grief rises within us, we feel it is a cue to turn away, to resist or fix the feeling. But perhaps it is an opportunity to tune in to the wisdom of our bodies, the vessels of our human experience, and beyond the assumptions of our egoic narrative?
The low energetic vibe and frequency of the pain-body is a magnetic pull of negativity. It immediately associates with negative thinking and this can spiral so promptly that we are soon caught up in a thought storm. The pain-body also actively seeks energetic parallels, it will thrive on anger in others and soon enough latent pain is very much alive and kicking, surging up and gaining traction from similar frequencies. Ever noticed the irrefutable pulling power of low moods?
Yet the thing about energy is that a higher frequency can dissolve low vibrations. So when the pain-body awakens, from the smallest twinge of sadness or irritation, there is an opportunity to respond differently. If we bring compassion and a gentle awareness we can sit with major discomfort and intense feelings, knowing that they can't hurt us in the present. It might not be imminent transformation, as the profound pain of the past sometimes requires real patience and consciousness to dissipate.
It takes courage to take a candle to the darker recesses of historic hurt. Yet the weight of this pain is not something we are obliged to carry with us for a lifetime.
The inner journey is not without challenge, yet it is without doubt utterly remarkable and illuminating.
