Can meditation heal physical pain?

This sharing is a bit more personal than most:

A few weeks ago, I was dancing a lot, rehearsing for carnival with the dance school and without knowing how, I injured myself. I had pain in my right ribs, sternum and scapula, particularly breathing in and expanding my ribcage. After 2 weeks the pain seemed to be sharper and worse, and I became worried that I’d actually cracked a rib while rolling on the floor (thinking I was 18 again!)

I was due a massage, so asked for some cautious attention to the area within a full body treatment. While drifting through consciousness on the massage table a moment of clarity arose. The timing of the injury came inside with receiving some news that brought up a whole load of unhealed grief and frustration.

It isn’t that the injury wasn’t real. But my body was holding pain in a disproportionate manner. The emotional and physical bodies were interacting. 

A week later and it was time I had to act on the news. I was on my way to Ixchel therapies practitioner training, and I suddenly also had a horrendous cold. My body was suffering.

Day 3 of training and we worked deep into the alignment of shoulders and ribcage, an area of my body where I have historically been stuck. We followed with a DNA meditative practice on letting go. I chose to let go of the pain I was feeling around the right side of my ribs, sternum, heart, lung and shoulder.

The physical difference in my body following the meditation was profound. I had space to move my scapula and it no longer had the crunchiness it usually holds. I felt physically lighter, with more ease - and I felt well. The cold vanished too.

So absolutely 100% I believe that the mind can assist to heal the body.

But with the caveat that both have to be in alignment. If I had not physically aligned my shoulder and ribcage the emotional energy would have been stuck and if I had not shifted the emotional energy the physical body would have remained stuck.

Is this all a bit ‘woo’ for a clinical massage therapist?

Well actually no, because scientific pain research has shown that biology alone does not account for patients’ experienced pain.

I promise I will share the details and some of this research another day.

(If you want to experience the meditation it can be purchased here or delve deep into the full series here)