Pain is a Teacher
I recently attended a breath activation ceremony that left a lasting imprint on me. In the stillness that followed, I heard a message as clear as if it had been whispered directly into my heart: pain is your teacher.
As I sat with it, more words seemed to unfold.
Don’t resist pain or discomfort. Don’t numb it, escape it, or bury it. Don’t turn away from it or pass it to someone else. Let it be seen.
I remembered the phrase, what we resist persists. It suddenly made sense in a new way. When we push away pain, it doesn’t disappear. It waits. It finds another way to speak, through tension, emotion, or the body, until we finally listen. Every sensation carries information, and that information will keep asking for attention until it’s received.
The truth is that pain and discomfort are unavoidable parts of being human. We can make choices to avoid some of it, but life will still offer us moments that stretch us. I’ve learned that resisting pain only amplifies it. When I began to see pain as a messenger instead of an enemy, everything shifted. Once the message is understood, the pain no longer has a job to do.
One of my clearest lessons came through my arm.
In the late summer of 2022, I began to feel a strange ache in my left upper arm. At first, it felt like a pulled muscle from a workout, but within weeks, the pain grew sharper. Simple movements sent shocks through my arm. By December, I could barely lift it, and it was all I could think about.
I tried everything: physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, and Reiki. Each helped a little, but nothing solved it. I spent hours worrying about it, fixating on it, and trying to “fix” it. I see now that I was feeding the very resistance that was keeping it alive.
In early 2023, I turned to a practice that had been deeply healing for me, psychedelic medicine. My intention was to understand the deeper roots of my discomfort. During that journey, I became aware of old, repressed emotions that I hadn’t fully faced. Without realizing it, those emotions had been stored in my body. My arm had become the place where my unprocessed pain lived, waiting for acknowledgment.
As I allowed those emotions to rise and began to feel them with compassion instead of fear, something started to change. The pain softened and, over time, it disappeared completely. My arm is now fully healed. It feels strong, free, and whole.
That experience taught me that healing is never just physical. It is emotional, energetic, and deeply personal. Now, when I experience pain or discomfort, I pause. I listen. I ask what it’s trying to tell me. That awareness has become a guide for everything I do. Pain isn’t here to punish us. It’s here to help us see what still needs our attention.
So, the next time pain arises, whether physical or emotional, let it speak. Sit with it. Journal, meditate, or talk to someone you trust. Ask what it wants you to know. When we meet pain with curiosity instead of resistance, it often transforms into understanding, and understanding leads to growth.
You don’t have to do that alone. If you’re ready to explore what your pain might be trying to show you, I’d be honored to support you. Together, we can uncover the message within it and help you move toward peace, wholeness, and alignment.
