Being Able To Face Pain Is An Important Part Of Developing Self-Awareness

A little while ago, I was thinking about the role that pain plays when it comes to developing self-awareness and self-knowledge. I thought that if someone experiences pain and ends up reaching out for something to take their pain away, it is going to stop them from looking into why they feel the way that they do.

And, if this is what takes place whenever they feel pain, it is going to stop them from being able to have a strong connection with their inner world. Their inner discomfort will be seen as something to avoid as opposed to something to be with.

The Downside

On the plus side, this will allow them to feel better and stop them from having to feel bad. Whatever they are drawn to, whether it be drugs, food, sex, social media or alcohol, for instance, it will be a way to sooth themselves.

The trouble with this approach is that they are not going to able to find out why they feel the way they do and then to do something about it. Their inner world will be sending them a message but they won’t be listening.

A Flawed Approach

It is then not going to be possible for them to actually change their life; they will just be trying to take the pain away. Now, if this pain just appeared and it didn’t mean anything, it wouldn’t matter what they did with it.

However, this pain is going to be there for a reason and, if they were to take a deeper look into why they feel the way they do, it would give them the chance to understand themselves better. They would be able to gradually go from a human being who is walking about in a daze, to someone who is able to take a step back and to reflect.

One Consequence

Through being out of touch with the information that is within them, it is then going to be perfectly normal for them to believe that things just happen to them. They may even say that they are ‘unlucky’.

This was something that Carl Jung was only too familiar with when he said; "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate." What this shows is that ignoring what is going on internally won’t cause it to disappear.

Out of Mind, but Not Out Of Sight

The feelings that someone doesn’t want to face will end up being pushed into their so-called unconscious mind (body), and they will have a big impact on the kind of experiences that they have and on who ‘appears’ in their life. Their mind will have forgotten, yet their body will be only too aware of what is going on.

In addition to this, these feelings can end up impacting their physical health. For example, they might end up experiencing pain in their back, neck, and/or shoulders, without being able to make the connection.

The Next Step

It could be far worse than just physical pain, though, and what happens could end up being put down to their genetics. Undoubtedly, going within can be hard in the beginning, but it gets easier the more emotionally pain that is dealt with.
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So, if you have been avoiding your inner world and would like to this to change, you may find that you need external support to begin with. Through working with a therapist or a healer, for instance, and building up your inner strength, you will soon be able to handle your inner world by you yourself.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk