Like most people, when life becomes too uncomfortable, I can feel hopeless. Australian pain expert David Butler likes to use the analogy of a bathtub when describing the various "monsters" (negative and positive stressors) in our lives. These pressures can include physical and emotional pain, relationship issues and world events. When there are too many challenges to fit in the tub, our pain can become overwhelming.
Butler has shared that, "We will experience pain when our credible evidence of danger related to our body is greater than our credible evidence of safety related to our body. Equally we won't have pain when our credible evidence of safety is greater than our credible evidence of danger." (Moseley and Butler 2015, p. 14).
Fortunately, my Buddhist perspective has continued to enable me to bring forth the wisdom, courage and compassion necessary to transform feelings of danger into evidence of safety. A key realization is that I have the internal ability to modulate the degree of emotional or physical pain I experience at any given moment and turn poison into medicine. In this way, Buddhism and the science of pain have clearly intersected.
This awareness didn't come easy. There were times when the accumulated effects of my emotional and physical injuries and current events overwhelmed my system. And I learned that even positive activities that required my attention also added to the water level in my tub.
The first step was to chant and study Buddhist principles to understand that, as Daisaku Ikeda has said, "Ultimately, it is not difficult circumstances that defeat one, but one's own weakness." Also, to realize that I have a Buddha nature and the power to change my negative circumstances.
Next was to take constructive steps to improve my attitude and perspective about my situation. This usually started with discussions with MVO, fellow Buddhists, a trusted physical therapist, and a psychotherapist.
I started learning how to more quickly seek out "evidence of safety" related to my mind and body. For instance, remembering that my depression never lasted and that physical injuries healed over time. It helps to understand that there will always be monsters in my tub. That's just part of being alive. So, now I go out of my way to avoid putting myself in situations that I know from experience can cause my tub to overflow.
So, rub-a-dub-dub, I hope you don't have too much in your tub!