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Shying away from the topics of cutting, mutilation & self-harm completely; do you ever view pain as a tool? Not deliberately caused pain, but pain that just occurs as a result of accidental injury, illness, or emotional/mental pain from an hurtful experience?

Is it more of a nuisance that distracts you, or do you utilize it to maintain focus?

I have my own personal approach, but I am curious to hear other's ways of "dealing" with pain..and in what way..it has been of value.

For instance, has it helped with "cravings"..has it allowed for a center during meditation..does it provide focus when dealing in things metaphysical in nature (for lack of a better term.)

Everyone should know there is just one way to improve your odds for survival: train, train, train. Sometimes, if your training is properly intense it will kill you. More often -- much, much more often -- it will save your life. Can you even imagine the pain involved here.

But I think that body mortification unless it's tattooing ar such reveals something else. I knew people who cut themselves do to emotional drama and unresolved issues.

I recognize that there is a difference, but as of the moment, I am curious to see if others utilize unintentional pain. The other topics have been more widely covered. The curiousity is on what is done with pain that occurs without deliberate self-infliction.

pain....something i know well..ill say this for me it has been at times a..focus of sorts ,letting me know im alive

I think some people might see it as a pinnicale of an event and use it to change something about their life, or themselves.

for myself personally pain has always become the center of attention when i am in fact in pain. It seems hard to get over the thought of being in pain when its right there on top of u like a leech. As for mental pain that to me is even harder to deal with just for the simple fact no one else realized what your going through, also people dont realize how much harm they can cause just by their actions or word of mouth so yeah pain in general sucks.

~after giving birth to twins, i don't see pain as having anything other than the value of its gains~

hmmmm interesting topic....

I think it can be used as a focal point though some people tend to try and push it away in order to focus or clear their head.

but when i had a serious accident and wound at the bottom of a ravine with a displaced knee cap and other injuries, the pain actually kept me conscious and thinking that i had to get out.

also i've gone through long periods of self injury and my therapist actually had me use the pain of it to center my thoughts so that i could focus on the harmful side effects of the burning so i could realize what i was doing to myself.

i think pain is a very good mind clearer.
i think people are too afraid of it so for the most part they do anything possible to not feel it.

depends on the kind of pain involved...
inner pain from a flawed structure is agony, not being able to lie still at night because your bones hate the flesh is my prime problem with this.
I love having sore torso and arm muscles, i don't know why. Everytime i stretch and they protest, i smile a little inside. this kind of pain helps to focus me and keeps me vigilant of how i am being perceived.
If i were to accidentally cut myself on a jagged piece of something, i might shy away in surprise, but there is definitely a slight fascination with spilling blood in my mind. Only my own, seeing other people suffer nauseates me, but i could watch my own blood drip for hours. I never do, though, i don't have the proper time or mindset to engage in such morbidity. As far as it goes to focus me, well, it's just something else to think about as the day progresses

But then again, accidental versus intentional carries a host of psychological and social dynamics which are stark in comparison.

Having lived with constant pain within my body due to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and severe PMDD...literally..to have a cycle was to go into full-blown labor with no St. Bernard to push out the cat door...o.O...I've learned one thing that pain does teach...

...Tolerance and Coping Skills....what do you do for pain that you cannot take pain medications for because you're allergic or hyper-sensitive to them? What do you do for sudden onsets of pain that you cannot stop any more than you could stop the brainless idiot who ran a stop sign and plowed into your front fender? What do you do for chronic pain that all manner of medical testing cannot determine "why" you are having it? Signs and Evidence of Chronic Pain..but...No Etiology...No Treatment...No Help...what do you do?

...You learn to Breathe....slowly.

I completely agree, I have similar situation I to live in constant pain for different reasons and it has made me a stronger person.

Everyone has a limit is what it comes down to. Accidental I myself am kinda immune to everyday hohum I do not feel it unless its extreme. Intentional will push a tolerance to a point of release or pleasure but in the end it depends on the person in my opinion

Fate you are indeed a brave person. All other people I've known in constant pain just wanted to die. i think it takes more courage going on.

Due to several contributing factors, I deal with daily pain. I find it to be a blessing now, although I did not always. As there is no way to stop the pain, I have learned to utilize it; and have found the effects to be quite beneficial when it comes to motivation and focus.

I am pleased to hear that others have been able to do the same.

Lacy I find the courageous of you as well. living in chronic difficulties is not a fun life and I'm happy you've found a manner of dealing with it.

I don't know if this will help with your question but, here goes.
Yes Lacy, I too experience daily pain for numerous reasons. It is up the individual as to what purpose it serves. It can be a tool in many aspects if choose to let it be such. It can be the voice of the coach urging you to continue on or the thing makes you continue to get drag yourself out of bed every morning even though it hurts like heck. It can be the one and only thing that makes you stop, slow down take a moment, regroup and meditate. By doing such you may then have a more productive journey. But it will always be different for eveyone because some close themsleves off to the point that nothing gets in not even pain.

How do you feel about those who co-mingle pain with sexual excitement? Couldn't pain then be a positive?

Pain . . . ? Heh. I like pain. . . . It reminds me . . . I am still . . . alive.

No . . . I do not self-mutilate myself. . . . But when pain does occur to me . . . rarely . . . I take time to enjoy it.

Pain can be an excitement as I mentioned beforehand. People use iy as a stimulant, and a way of enhancing their senses

I do not use it as a form of entertainment or excitement . . . pain just reminds me I am more than a lifeless husk. . . . Sometimes, it is all I feel I am . . . so I like to feel pain. . . .

Pain, and i mean mental pain, can be used to help you being more focused, fater and effective.
I´ve done this in the past and definitly helped me achieving some type of evolution.
sometimes can be too much though ...

I do not espouse self mutilation at all. I do believe it can be used to shape your tolerances. The military special forces actually teach you how ro ignore pain, and elements around you.

Pain can be a good thing. If we felt no pain and put our hands onto a hot surface we would melt our flesh. It's needed to warn us.

I believe pain is a good thing. I am a dancer and the only way I know I'm doing something right is if it hurts.

Pain has been used as a tool in many civilizations over thousands of years. It can help focus you because it increases adrenaline and then it can also help de-stress you (among other things) because it's altering your minds attention to something else.

Personally, being in pain for many years because of health, I try to induce it as little as possible. But I can see why others might use it. I see emotional pain being of more use than physical pain. I also think there's better ways of gaining strength/focus/peace etc than pain.

When I get needles, I pinch myself. It's a distraction, and it works. I don't enjoy it, either. :P I'd rather the bruising pinch than the sharp prick though.

Pain that's enjoyed though, would be tattoos and piercings. The adrenalin rush is there and it releases endorphins. Tattoos and piercings are addictive /because/ of the pain for most people.
And to think, I hate needles... :P

it's all about the mentality of the person.

i do use pain to help me center myself in meditation

I have pain in my life from an illiness I deal with it every day. I have lymes diease and RA which is very painfull.
I have hurt pain as well.
MY daughter used to cut herself when things went wrong I do not like it myself
I could never cut myself I have a friend also who does it and it leaves scars on u

i use to cut esp. after my mom died but my dad had me committed for a few months and threatened longer if i was caught cutting again

Pain is a warning to serious injury that may occur due to accidents or other situations in which your nerves will deliver pain to your mind.

i see pain as something to be avoided.

i think of pain as more of a curse, emotional pain sucks (way worse than physical) i feel at peace in the woods with animals and when meditating. i also deal with emotional pain by working out- it relieves the stress (a hot bath is good too)

from time to time, I must use some form of self induced physical pain, to distract me and relieve anger and stress. It works and I have a high pain tolerance, but like any crutch, my threshold climbs. The pain I cause has to be higher and higher. It helps me to control the pain, but what to do with the scars? I carry my mental pain on the outside. Sometimes I forget to hide them, and they embarrass me.

i have developed the same trouble so i'm looking into other avenues to center myself

..My body..only mine. Why should I inflict pain into it? Why should i destroy something so beautifully crated? The only pain that my body will received, is the pain of a needle during Flu shot. So, all of you, that like to inflict pain on yourself, do you know that your mental state is not normal and that there is help if you ask. So, don't hate me because I am telling you something that you already know, but, use it as a tool to look into a different avenue and not the one which include self mutilation.

Help is elusive and not freely given. Cliche after cliche has been thrown at me. Perhaps, there is another way, I welcome a conclusion. I conclude that some of us are just meant to carry this burden in this lifetime as some form of enlightenment. Physical pain is easier than not being able to put aside disorders of the mind. To me, at least. I'm adept at meditation. Sometimes I just find I need a beer. LOL!

I just try to push through pain .. I know that it is there and it hurts but I also know there is nothing I can do about it so I just push through and keep going till it is no longer my main focus

Pain is a life enforcer. It drives me in many directions. But I end up in either of these two destinations: 1. A very bad and often dangerous predicament and, 2. A rather productive and revitalizing experience. Either way, the pain (emotional pain, in my experience) is almost always unbearable and my soul seemed to seep out of me. I believe that within our souls is an innate good mother who guides us through our journey of healing ourselves.

accidental pain is definitely more of a nuisance to me.
Or back pain for no apparent reason, i can't escape it, and it most certainly does not help me meditate.
So yes, pain is a nuisance for me.

But quick pain such as piercings or tattoos I enjoy, because I know the outcome will make me happier and more pleased with my appearance.

pain is also something that can hold us back.

I have found that with each "controlled pain release" Myself is a little harder.

Pain is pain. 'Nuff said.
Bodily pain is something we can tolerate.. as it releases "good" endorphins to sooth the pain.
"A newborn child has to cry, for only in this way will his lungs expand. A doctor once told me of a child who could not breathe when it was born. In order to make it breathe the doctor gave it a slight blow. The mother must have thought the doctor cruel. But he was really doing the kindest thing possible. As with newborn children the lungs are contracted, so are our spiritual lungs. But through suffering God strikes us in love. Then our lungs expand and we can breathe and pray." --Sadhu Sundar Singh

As for emotional pain... That is something I can do without!

I could have my spine fused.
Currently, I choose not to... so am Pain.

But, I have mobility and I believe a better quality of Life...

And, as to the comment I read just...

I too, cannot abide emotional Pain.

Emotion pain is pretty bad. You can't really numb it forever. Sooner or later you have to deal with it or go crazy - which in some cases is welcome.

I can't stand belly aches and twists and turns and flops... they're absolute agony. At times like that, I'd rather be in hospital, heavily sedated.

Pain...hmm...
Just a motivator - it drives you to act.
To sublimation or destruction?
I prefer destruction. To let others know what pain really is.

Deal with stupid people? Hit your head against the wall a few things. Feels good when you stop. :)

Pain is the body telling you to work harder.

My psionic, auric, and elemental abilities are directly tied to my emotional state. The stronger my emotions get the stronger my abilities. Physical pain serves as a lens to magnify everything. I have this tranquility that is difficult to accomplish without it. When I was ten, was having puberty I started to have problems with low blood pressure, and cronic migrains. I had to teach myself to focus through intense pain. I am very very skilled at it now.
-Sophia-

Pain is weakness leaving the body.

I believe pain is all relative, in that what some call a ten on the pain scale is a five to another.
If you have suffered a great deal of pain your ten eventually becomes five. Meditation and self control are forced upon you.
If you have suffered both metally and physically both tens eventually become 4,3,2,1... home. Opus Dea believers utilise this to gain control, I had it thrust upon me, a very unpleasant experience, but now your knife just makes me laugh. Thus one is somewhat freed from the usual human bounds, once pain and more so death become home the soul becomes truly free...for you cannot hurt me anymore.

there is a old saying that goes what hurts you only makes you grow stronger....

there is some truth in this there are so many soughts of pain
emotional, pain physical pain, mental pain

all carries their merrits and levels of pain

how we choose to deal with it thats what makes the difference....

Pain tells me that something is wrong .
If it is chronic,I deal with it.If it is acute,I deal with it then too,by taking step needed to fix it..I dont find pleasure in pain and I sure dont intentionally inflict it upon myself.

pain is a natural response.

to be accepted and, understood.

I dont believe in that saying "No pain,no gain" bs either...You dont have to hurt yourself to be in shape.

I have recently begun to think that pain brings clarity.

When i was in the marine corps we did a lot of body hardening, which if done over and over makes you grow resistand if not numb to different kinds of pain, I'd do just about everything shy of breaking my own bones because i never thought I was doing it hard enough, finally i hurt myself unintentionally of course, but it happened, it put things into perspective for me i had rather not put myself in a position where i can be hurt, if at all possible, and since then when i do get hurt it only really serves as a lesson or a reminder to me of what to do and what not to do, i'm not sure about its applications in meditation, but its a powerful tool if one believes that a higher power is inflicting it.

Master Bishop, that's my point the body burns snaps but the mind goes on, and if your mind survives it gets stronger, much, much stronger. The Druids recognised this, the 3 pillars of wisdom, pain suffering and insanity. How far are we willing to go? Fire, as in the film Dune is a defining test? perhaps...
Many commit suicide when desperate by petrol and flames, do they feel it? When fire feels like Ice you have crossed over.
Winks at my Lady bloodmoon.

Fallen star you bring up a good point.

Does "cross over" mean death in your last post?

Any way if it does I must contreedict you. To me when pain of fire turn to ice it means that you have simply stop feeling. Though that also Leeds me to question if feeling without your body could keep you sain will it not just rip out your emotions as well.

Hah ha, the tricky bit for being turned. When some lose emotion they go mad and feel only death and destruction.
Others have the strength to pull part of themselves though the void, and memory helps.
Sacrifice and meditation are the key to this process.

Or the subject will self destruct.

Still what is your opinion on the damage it might cause to the soul.

pain,human greatest fear.i found that carefully induced pain can be quite an liberating,help-focusing,agsilareting expirience,ewen during the sex.i cut my self numerus times when i crave for blood.when my furry takes me,cuting makes me calm.

~vampiricron

I totally agree with you but remember we are shying away from self-harm. Like I said before pain beings clarity even in the depth o the red haze of anger.

Pain is a constant in the universe, it is something everyone understands because everyone experiences it at one point in time. It is a helper, an adversary, a teacher, a weapon, and much much more.

Physical pain I can deal with.........it's the mental pain that's a tough one.......losing a wife (lost my 1st one), losing friends in war and lost a good friend while conducting security operations during Katrina in which some asshole him in the head. The mental is definitely the worse.

Once we go into shock our bodies no longer send or recognise pain signals,thus those burned at the stakes no longer feel the pain of it.

In many cultures,pain is used to encourage the release of endorphins,which puts them into a "hypnotic" type of state,thus, enhancing the "spirituality" feelings of a ritual or activity.