The writer at Pain for Philosphers recently sent me a link to a Washington Post article about mindfulness for pain.  The author Mindy Greenstein writes about using mindfulness to help cope with anxiety and pain related to her breast cancer treatment.  Greenstein quotes Cindy Sanderson, a psychologist and fellow person with breast cancer:

“I realized,” Sanderson told us, “that the moments of pain — even if the pain was excruciating — were actually very short compared with the pain I put myself through by thinking about it ahead of time.”  If she could stay focused on the present moment no matter what she was doing — washing dishes, talking to a colleague, even chatting with the doctor just before her treatment — up until the moment the needle actually pierced her skin, she could cope.  Even more, if she could keep that same focus from meandering to thoughts about what lay ahead in the future in general, she could continue to make the most of every moment that was not painful.

The article:  Tomorrow’s Pain Will Come Soon Enough.

Other articles on mindfulness:

• Are You Mindful 24/7?
• Mindfulness Helps Back Pain
• How Mindfulness Helps with Chronic Pain