Painful Bodies

I think it's fantastic that so many people are now tapping into and sharing the positive energy of life.

I do, however, want to hear from those who continue to struggle in and out of joy and suffering. I want to hear from those who find themselves slipping back into the shadows - who can't find consistency and still live with fear.

Why does this persist for so many?

Why do we spin out of control every so often?

I've heard that recurring suffering occurs when bad experiences from the past are kept alive in the mind then brought forward into the present to be re-experienced again and again.

Eckhart Tolle describes this as Pain Bodies. Emotional memories stored in the body and triggered by the ego when it needs sustenance. By feeding itself through conflict the ego remains separated from the rest of the world - from reality.

It needs this separation so it can identify itself. It can't survive outside of isolation. It must have boundaries. It must be special. Someone must be wrong so it can be right.

In short, the ego reinstates itself when it feels it's very existence is under threat.

This perhaps explains why so many sabotage happiness. It's just thier old mate Ego reminding them who is boss.

I believe this to be true but also difficult to identify.

Tolle gives a comical example of the Pain Body by using relationships as the playing field. He talks about conflict between couples where particular buttons are pushed and how we automatically respond like robots. Partners know exactly where these buttons are and the pain is easily located. Once they are pushed we are like puppets on a string, dancing on cue.

It's a comical image and a ridiculous situation. Even so it's tragic and the suffering that entails is no laughing matter.

It's embarrassing when one becomes aware of this reaction in themselves and how long it has controlled their lives. Is it any wonder that it becomes difficult to discuss. Falling for the same trick half your life is not easy to share with yourself let alone anyone else.

Even so, I want this blog to address the issue and open up a dialogue about those triggers found in the Pain Body. After all it can't be as painful discussing it as actually experiencing it. And I can only assume recognising the Pain Body within ourselves is just another blow to the ego.