It seems obvious enough. Pain contracts. Pain stagnates. Pain constrains. Pain interrupts flow. Pain takes our power; it defeats us. Pain seems to make us helpless and dependent. It seems that pain takes our will, our strength, our value, and our power. It also seems to cut us off from other qualities of Presence such as appreciation, gratitude, joy, satisfaction, curiosity, contentment, acceptance, forgiveness, and understanding. In sum, pain seems to insist that we focus on pain in the absence of Presence and it's holding qualities of both integrity and bliss.
This seems odd, and very suspicious.One would think that a natural unfolding of events would lead automatically from pain to the arising of those universally possessed, latent but unexpressed, internal powers of Presence best suited for dealing with pain. Survival would be promoted. Why does this not happen? Why does the very opposite occur?
In people firmly committed to their ego self identities, arising Essential qualities of Presence in others near to them begins to evoke their own sense of Presence. But, the immediate focus is on the emptiness and deficiency of their ego state as they begin to move away from it and towards Presence. Thus, Presence in others will make them feel threatened and uncomfortable.
A young child in pain will naturally experience rising Presence in its supporting and holding aspects. This will initiate vague, but definite feelings of inadequacy and emptiness in the ego-identified parent, unable to recognize the child's Presence for what it is, or the estrangement from their own Presence of Being. As a result, without knowing why, the parent is offended and feels wounded by the appearance of their child's powers of Presence. Accordingly the parent both overtly and unconsciously discourages and prevents the arising of, and unfolding of, their child's intrinsic capacities and powers to deal with pain.
For the child, the relationship with the parent supercedes their natural innate relationship to pain and their powers of Presence. The parent's estrangement from their own powers of Presence then results in a serious distortion of the child's developing relationship with his pain, and his identity as Presence. All based on the discomfort exposed when holding powers of Presence threaten to reveal the emptiness of the ego personality.
The child then, with the parents guidance, learns to impede its natural flow, constrain its innate holding powers of Presence, and contract its consciousness around the presence of pain. The natural unfolding of intrinsic powers in the child is blocked. Flowing capacities of evoked powers are thwarted, their development stunted and their ability to provide inner holding for the child in pain, denied.
For this to happen, the hurting child must turn his focus to the pain and the object relationship with the parents, while denying his intrinsic wisdom. This model for experiencing and dealing with pain becomes habituated, internalized and reified. Decades later the dynamic is virtually the same in the adult.
In this framework of reference, pain is to be rejected, turned away from, and gotten rid of by whatever means possible. To go into it is to invite disempowerment, helplessness, and dependency. Pain is seen to take something precious from us. To accept it is unthinkable.
In truth, pain naturally evokes innate powers of Presence capable of deepening the capacity of the one hurting, often while soothing, comforting, and promoting healing.
Quality of life is diminished immensely when the tremendous significance of pain as empowering is lost. In its place, pain is mis-labeled and given significance as an agent of disempowerment. Each time we are hurt, physically or mentally, we activate this distorted framework of references giving orientation and meaning to our pain, our identities and our world. If pain did, in truth, disempower and cut us off from Presence, then we would live an inimical world. In this realm, where pain is ubiquitous, every pain turns us away from our inherent powers. Every pain denies our Essential Presence. Every pain tightens the grip of delusional conditioning on our experience of life.
This seems odd, and very suspicious.One would think that a natural unfolding of events would lead automatically from pain to the arising of those universally possessed, latent but unexpressed, internal powers of Presence best suited for dealing with pain. Survival would be promoted. Why does this not happen? Why does the very opposite occur?
In people firmly committed to their ego self identities, arising Essential qualities of Presence in others near to them begins to evoke their own sense of Presence. But, the immediate focus is on the emptiness and deficiency of their ego state as they begin to move away from it and towards Presence. Thus, Presence in others will make them feel threatened and uncomfortable.
A young child in pain will naturally experience rising Presence in its supporting and holding aspects. This will initiate vague, but definite feelings of inadequacy and emptiness in the ego-identified parent, unable to recognize the child's Presence for what it is, or the estrangement from their own Presence of Being. As a result, without knowing why, the parent is offended and feels wounded by the appearance of their child's powers of Presence. Accordingly the parent both overtly and unconsciously discourages and prevents the arising of, and unfolding of, their child's intrinsic capacities and powers to deal with pain.
For the child, the relationship with the parent supercedes their natural innate relationship to pain and their powers of Presence. The parent's estrangement from their own powers of Presence then results in a serious distortion of the child's developing relationship with his pain, and his identity as Presence. All based on the discomfort exposed when holding powers of Presence threaten to reveal the emptiness of the ego personality.
The child then, with the parents guidance, learns to impede its natural flow, constrain its innate holding powers of Presence, and contract its consciousness around the presence of pain. The natural unfolding of intrinsic powers in the child is blocked. Flowing capacities of evoked powers are thwarted, their development stunted and their ability to provide inner holding for the child in pain, denied.
For this to happen, the hurting child must turn his focus to the pain and the object relationship with the parents, while denying his intrinsic wisdom. This model for experiencing and dealing with pain becomes habituated, internalized and reified. Decades later the dynamic is virtually the same in the adult.
In this framework of reference, pain is to be rejected, turned away from, and gotten rid of by whatever means possible. To go into it is to invite disempowerment, helplessness, and dependency. Pain is seen to take something precious from us. To accept it is unthinkable.
In truth, pain naturally evokes innate powers of Presence capable of deepening the capacity of the one hurting, often while soothing, comforting, and promoting healing.
Quality of life is diminished immensely when the tremendous significance of pain as empowering is lost. In its place, pain is mis-labeled and given significance as an agent of disempowerment. Each time we are hurt, physically or mentally, we activate this distorted framework of references giving orientation and meaning to our pain, our identities and our world. If pain did, in truth, disempower and cut us off from Presence, then we would live an inimical world. In this realm, where pain is ubiquitous, every pain turns us away from our inherent powers. Every pain denies our Essential Presence. Every pain tightens the grip of delusional conditioning on our experience of life.
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