Let Your River Flow Through You To Heal

I love this analogy of letting your river flow through you. What this means is letting your emotional limbic brain (where a lot of chronic and emotional pain originate from) discharge what's there while staying safe and grounded on the banks of your river. Staying grounded means turning on the frontal cortex, which we know is weakened with chronic pain. This is called mindfulness which we know strengthens the cortex and weakens the amygdala and emotional brain.
Reach our for support I am here to help you learn how to do this to heal. Find me at www.thepainpt.com

[@StarOnTheWater]

Thanks, I found this to be incredibly helpful with acute menstrual pain also. Takes the metaphor with the flowing river to a whole different level as well. 😁

[@cdracos1]

Yes !!!!!! Every time I use my frontal mind ,my symptoms decrease .

[@kathleenwharton2139]

You have been the Most help to me of anyone! I listen to your little mediation so much..that just the sound of your voice puts me in immediate calmness!

[@alisoninchausti1080]

I love the sitting on the banks of the river metaphor! It helps me immediately, when my limbic brain is beginning to either cause me to resist or overwhelme me. This metaphor inspired me to write a poem during my journal time the other day. Thank you

[@hew195050]

I love that you reminded us to do it for a length of time. We need to do it longer especially if we’ve been installing all that crap in there for lots of years. there’s only one way out and that’s through! amen to that!

[@kathleenwharton2139]

I learned this..But I learned also that once I realized the negative thinking that I needed to Replace the bad thoughts with Good thoughts. I found a little mantra that helps me do this. I replace the negative thoughts with my mantra. “I am Love. I am Safe. I am Free.” This has helped me immensely. A person could figure out their own little mantra to replace the negative thoughts. Once I say the mantra however long I need to..my thinking changes to more positive thinking. My pain and symptoms seem to be a reminder to me of the negative thinking that I easily fall into. When I do the positive thinking..I Feel Better!

[@cdracos1]

And add a little positive doing also. Pain or not. We are all well !

[@kathleenwharton2139]

@@cdracos1 Yes! I agree.

[@hew195050]

I’ve heard it said one cannot overwrite negative thoughts with positive thoughts. That’s why positive thinking doesn’t work. If it works for you have at it! I’m proud of you!

[@kathleenwharton2139]

@@hew195050 It isn’t as simple..nor works as well as I made it sound..but it helps some!

[@JaneStanton]

I love this. ❤

[@DottieBengo]

This is great but what about the river i damned up years ago i.e. the subconscious mind? I'M doing this work every day and it's helping so much. Thanks.

[@leahcalabro2787]

Hi Jim, Thanks so much for this analogy. Does this mean that brain retraining approaches like the STOP method, inhibit that flow and create resistance? I see benefits in both approaches. 🌻🙂

[@ginnynims9060]

Sitting on the dock of the bay!

[@MsAnchovey]

It's a good idea to stop and focus on the idea of the correct way to do this (sitting on the bank and watch your thoughts, feelings and symptoms go by) but it seems you focus on how not to do it or what we do wrong. You Keep talking about what not to do, instead of what to do. Alot of pros do this. Can you please narrow it down to one sentence as to what I should do. Like I should sit safely on the bank while letting all my thoughts go by with positive indifference. Is that it?

[@thepainpt]

Hey Ann: Yes thanks for the feedback. The simplest way I can put it is Try letting what you feel in your body run through you without you impeding it from your mind. Whatever pain emotion anything you can feel just let it work through your system that’s essentially letting the river flow through you take care!

[@fifiearthwanderer]

How do we become mindful when we are numb? Also of we have been afraid of the sensation for so long.

[@barb49er2000]

Wonderful visual…thanks

[@dr.danratner2586]

Jim, how do I connect with you? I have a podcast on chronic pain called Crushing Doubt and want to have you on!

[@thepainpt]

Hey Dan that would be awesome. Hit me up at [e-mail]. Would be great to connect

[@danhight2171]

Excellent Jim, Thanks

[@RH-sp9zd]

thanks for the always calm and empathetic approach in your talks. Out of curiosity can I ask the difference between suppression and repression?

[@thepainpt]

Suppression is a conscious holding back of feelings and thoughts while repression is an unconscious pattern that people aren’t aware they are doing

[@tousift7822]

Is suppression also harmful, dr sarno says no, but I feel even conscious negative feelings cause upset of body starting from deep breathing to heart papilatation , etc

[@eudicebenor4537]

I love this.Jim.you have been a guide to me for the last few weeks...what agift. Thanks from Jerusalem

[@gemfab5812]

I have a question, I have made massive progress with all these techniques with my CFS and sciatica, but I find the sciatica is hardes to shift, and exercise always triggers it off and I'm not sure best way to tackle it, as I want to be able to do yoga again. Any advice be greatly appreciated for next step in upping exercise and dealing with symptons

[@thepainpt]

Yes double down as seeing the sciatica as OK. Reassure your brain, relax into pain, Let it pass as you move forward. See what emotions are there under the sciatica

[@lukaszwolf2688]

Thank you for that, great perspective to have!

[@alandry6872]

A wonderful analogy. Thanks 💖

[@judithwhitelaw2684]

Hi Jim, can I ask about negative feelings and emotions which relate to our symptoms? I have been trying to calmly reassure myself that this is TMS, and not to overreact to symptoms. However, my anxiety levels are really high and I worry internally about the constant dizziness. I am trying not to freak out and to give myself messages of safety and trying to remain calm. Is this suppression of my feelings of worry about my symptoms ? Thank you. My body feels like it is vibrating sometimes , it’s stress😒

[@thepainpt]

Hey Judith that sounds like anxiety in your body. Don’t worry about it or give it any attention or energy tell yourself it’s just anxiety and carry-on normally as you don’t want to reinforce it. This is how it will gradually fade in time

[@judithwhitelaw2684]

@@thepainpt thank you Jim, I appreciate you taking the time to reply 😊. I am slowly getting braver and trying to calmly reassure myself and carry on as normal. None of this stuff is easy, your videos are tremendously helpful

[@elainereader9247]

Thank you!

[@paulojustinianookubo]

I have tried doing it on my own but i just cant. I got so depressed and had to go on antidepressants to make the pain more bearable. I suffer from fibromyalgia,gerd, prostatitis, and neuropathy all over.

[@mariapiagross488]

I feel for you friend. I have similar symptoms, but I truly believe this is the work we have to do. Hang in there, there's light at the end

[@hew195050]

@@mariapiagross488 Me too and I feel the same way. There’s no way out but through!

[@peachesmcgee4795]

I got worse before better when doing a lot of practices such as meditation etc, but I believe as the poster above says that the way out is through it. In DNRS they call it "limbic resistance". I think we need to be strong and to keep going,though I know it isn't easy.

[@gemfab5812]

Love the analogy too v good.

[@MorComm]

Sounds like in homo sapiens the prefrontal cortex is terribly out of sync with the limbic system and the paleomammalian primitive brain.Lione and zebras don't have those kind of problems. This exercise of letting the river flow sounds like an excellent way of synchronizing if not totally harmonizing them.The problem seems start though with human evolutionary biology. No easy fix, Jim!

[@thepainpt]

Yes two different Brains- the limbic brain shoots first our only weapon is our response to it (pre-frontal cortex). Over time we can get the limbic brain to settle down. Once bitten it’s twice shy

[@theinfinitesongstress]

Amazing analogy Jim. Thank you so much. ❤️

[@Phoenix333Rising]

Love this analogy, tysm!

[@gomasso]

So amazing 🙃