Silva Method (India) Kolkata

By Avadhut Das
Based on Dr. Andrew Block's work

"The best thing about pain is that it lets you know that you are not dead yet" -Movie: "G.I.Jane"

(For improving your conviction that the techniques presented here indeed do work, you may like to read this non-connected but related published paper.)

The intensity of pain is strongly influenced by the way our brain processes it. When trained properly, the brain can learn how to manage this sensation of pain. By following the techniques mentioned here, one can feel more in control of one's situation and become less dependent on prescription medicines.

For these techniques to work you need to first be fully relaxed. Now, getting to relax while you are in a lot of pain requires good effort. In our 2-days Silva Mind Control Method training we teach our students to easily reach deep states of physical and mental relaxation without any dependency on any external aid, be it another person, music, voice recordings, bio-feedback equipment, or anything else. If you have not trained in Silva, then you may achieve some mind-body relaxation by doing the following:

(Silva Graduates will skip this part and enter their creative dimension of mind--the laboratory level.)

• Put yourself in a relaxed, reclining position in a semi-dark room with pleasant air-circulation.
• Close your eyelids and relax your eyeballs.
• Release all tensions and ligament pressures from your face.
• Slow down your breathing. Engage in relaxed, rhythmic easy breathing.
• When you begin to breathe normally, mentally count your breathing (do a reverse countdown: from 50 all the way down to 1)
• Once you thus reach the count of 1, you can begin to use the following techniques:
   

1. Altered focus
    
   With this technique you can see how powerful the mind can be in removing pain. Focus your attention on any specific non-painful part of the body (hand, foot, where ever) and alter sensation in that part of the body by imagining, say your hand warming up. This will take the mind away from focusing on the source of your pain, such as from your back pain.
    

2. Dissociation
    
   This technique involves mentally separating the painful body part from the rest of your body. Distant the chronic pain from your mind. For example, imagine your painful lower back sitting on a chair across the room. Now, tell it to stay sitting there, far away from your mind.
    

3. Sensory splitting
    
   This technique involves dividing the sensation (pain, burning, needle prick) into separate parts. For example, if the leg pain or back pain feels hot to you, focus just on the sensation of the heat and not on the hurting. (Think about the pain, not the body part.) Works like a charm!
    

4. Mental anesthesia
    
   This involves imagining an injection of numbing anesthetic (like Novocain) into the painful area, such as imagining a bright pink-colored numbing solution being injected into your low back and then imagine it spreading. Similarly, you may then wish to imagine a soothing and cooling ice pack being placed onto the area of pain.
    

5. Mental analgesia
    
   Building on the mental anesthesia concept, this technique involves imagining an injection of a strong pain killer, such as morphine, into the painful area. Alternatively, you can imagine your brain producing massive amount of endorphins, the natural pain relieving substance of the body, and having them flow to the painful parts of your body.
    

6. Transfer
    
   Use your mind to produce altered sensations, such as numbness, cold, anesthetic, (or warm in some cases) in a non-painful hand, and then place the hand on the painful area. Envision transferring this pleasant, altered sensation into the painful area.
    

7. Age progression/regression
    
   Imagine using a time-machine to project yourself forward or backward in time to when you are pain-free or experiencing much less pain. Then instruct yourself to act "as if" this image were true.
    

8. Symbolic imagery
    
   Envision a symbol that represents your chronic pain, such as a loud, irritating noise or a painfully bright light bulb. Gradually reduce the irritating qualities of this symbol, for example dim the light or reduce the volume of the noise, thereby reducing the pain. Alternatively imagine watching a bio-feedback graph or level-meter on a computer screen. Then imagine using the mouse to scroll it way down thus reducing your pain.
    

9. Positive imagery
    
   Focus your attention on a pleasant place that you could imagine going - the beach, the mountains, a temple or lying with your head on your mother's lap with her lovingly moving her fingers across your head or something like that, something or some place where you feel carefree, safe, comforted and relaxed.
    

10. Counting
     
    Silent counting is a good way to deal with painful episodes. (Do not move your lips, tongue, or your throat sub-vocalizing. Use only your thoughts alone to count.) You might count breaths, count holes in an acoustic ceiling, or simply conjure up mental images and count them.
     

11. Pain movement
     
    Move chronic back pain from one area of your body to another, where the pain is easier to cope with. For example, mentally move your chronic back pain slowly into your hand, or even out of your hand into the air, or to an object that you are holding in your hand or that which is touching the paining part.
     

12. Ejection
     
    Similar to the above, but more visual, thus more experiencable. Pour a little colored fabric whitener (like Robin Blue or Ranipal) or ink on your palm. Close your fist tight. Dip your fist in a light colored bucket of clear water. Mentally imagine pushing your pain from where ever it is slowly to your dipped fist. Watch it leak out of your fist and spread away in the water. As you experience the pain reducing, gently open your fist and see all of the pain coming out. Finally wriggle your hand inside the water as you withdraw out your clean hand with your body feeling comfortable and better than before.
     

Some of these techniques are probably first best experienced in person with the help of a qualified Silva trainer or senior Silva practitioner. It usually takes practice for these techniques to become effective in helping alleviate chronic pain. It is often advisable to work on these pain coping techniques for about 30 minutes, 3 times a week. With practice, you will find that your powers over the pain will increase, and it will take lesser mental energy to achieve more pain relief.

Good luck.

Wishing you quick relief and better and better success!

Avadhut Das
Trainer, Silva Method (India), Kolkata

Pls feel free to write to us at silvakolkata@gmail.com We will be delighted to hear from you.

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