LWT 34 | Depression, Anxiety – When the Pain-Body Awakens – Teachings of Eckhart Tolle
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On this episode of Living with Tolle we talk about the pain-body, a powerful spiritual insight Eckhart Tolle first introduced in The Power of Now. We explore how the pain-body manifests in life and strategies for dealing with the short term and long term effects.
What is the Pain-Body?
The pain-body has been described by Eckhart Tolle as past emotional pain alive in your life today.
The pain-body is a living entity or energy field that is attached to the authentic expression of your life. As such, it can be described as a parasitic energy field engorging itself on your life energy. Think of a tapeworm: it releases a chemical in the body that makes you crave food that feeds and engorges the parasite, but is actually bad for you.
“The pain-body is a semi-autonomous energy-form that lives within most human beings, an entity made up of emotion. It has its own primitive intelligence, not unlike a cunning animal, and its intelligence is directed primarily at survival.
~ Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth
But the pain-body is not just a personal problem. The pain-body is a collective phenomenon. The pain-body is transferred to the individual through social and cultural conditioning. You experience the collective pain-body on a personal level and through the many ways it can manifest in your life. In fact, the collective pain-body survives through individuals remaining unconscious and contributing “pain” from personal experiences.
Eckhart has stated that your greatest responsibility is to personally cleanse yourself of the pain-body, so you no longer add to the collective pain-body.
Why is acceptance such a powerful spiritual practice in dealing with the pain-body?
The pain-body has two states: active and dormant. When it is active, it is a sign that you are not conscious enough to keep from reacting to life from the pain. And even though it may be uncomfortable and counterintuitive, when the pain-body is active the only constructive response is to be in acceptance of what is happening in this moment.
“The beginning of freedom from the pain-body lies first of all in the realization that you have a pain-body. Then, more important, in your ability to stay present enough, alert enough, to notice the pain-body in yourself as a heavy influx of negative emotion when it becomes active. When it is recognized, it can no longer pretend to be you and live and renew itself through you.”
~ Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth
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Key Highlights From Our Conversation
Leo opens the conversation by talking about his recent feelings of depression. In short, daily life kicks in and overwhelms him. He describes a sense of “falling off the wagon,” specifically around his inability to feel present, to practice acceptance, and to connect with others in daily life, especially around his work life. 
Lack of time, work obligations, lack of joy all led him to a feeling of disillusionment with the spiritual teachings he’s been exploring. Even though intellectually the teachings make sense and have led him to a sense of awakening and greater presence, this “down” episode fundamentally challenges all he’s been working towards. He describes it as a feeling of having to go back and starting from the beginning.
Greg points to the pain-body as a way to explain Leo’s situation.
Thus begins a great conversation about the role of the pain-body on both a personal and a collective level and on the importance of acceptance as a powerful spiritual practice for dealing with the pain-body.
(16:00)
Many times people complain about the pain-body and don’t want it to come up. This is the ego complaining about the pain-body, but the energy of the complaint is what feeds the pain-body itself! So you have to go back to step one, which is acceptance. The best response is to be in acceptance when the pain-body is active, and when it is dormant you can return to cultivating presence through your spiritual practices. Awareness of the pain-body is important. through cultivating awareness and presence, when the pain-body lashes out, you can recognize it more easily. You can see it. Now you can be aware that this is not who you are, but it is the pain-body becoming active. The greatest agent for change is awareness, as Eckhart says.
Cultivating Presence and Awareness (20:00)
“This too shall pass.” When you are cultivating presence and a sense of awareness, you will be able to have a quicker recovery from an active pain-body. You will be able to know this active state of the pain-body shall pass.
When it passes, you go back to generating presence, to practices that help you cultivate presence so the next time the pain-body becomes active you can have a greater degree of awareness around the experience, without letting it consume you. Presence power that you cultivate actually breaks up the strength of the pain-body itself.
Have a routine set of practices that refresh your spirit and your sense of presence. Make time in your life to be in retreats, in spiritual communities, in practices that help cultivate presence.
Beginner’s Mind & Being Humble
Leo discusses how this experience with the pain-body left him feeling humble, recalling the Zen concept of beginner’s mind. This is a process of growth. The awareness increases, so when the pain-body becomes active, you can see it more clearly. Yet going back to the beginning and cultivating the basics is key in the process of spiritual growth.
How can I humble myself to acknowledge that the pain-body is a strong presence on this planet, and so that I can be aware of it when it becomes active again, through acceptance rather than resistance.
We end our 10th episode with the concept of beginner’s mind. Acknowledging that this is a process of growth and awakening we are experiencing.
Questions for further thought and comments:
- If you feel “drained” of life, how is the pain-body showing up in your life experience and draining your life energy?
- How is the past still alive in your experience today, even though you have committed to forgiving or forgetting it?
- How are you “battling” with your pain-body? What practices are people involved in to help cultivate the sense of presence
And in the spirit of beginner’s mind, we also ask for your feedback on the podcast and on the web site.
Please send us your comments and your suggestions for future topics. Thanks everyone for listening!
Category: PODCASTS
About the Author (Author Profile)
Leo Aristimuno helps people develop mindfulness, inner peace, and joy in their daily lives. He teaches mindfulness meditation courses in Montclair, NJ, and offers inspirational workshops, retreats, and personal consultations. Leo has worked with Eckhart Tolle's teachings many years. He's the organizer of Living With Eckhart Tolle Meetup groups in NJ and NYC with over 1,400 members. Leo is also co-producer of the popular podcast LivingWithTolle.comSubscribe
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Sites That Link to this Post
- Pain Bodies in the Classroom. [Who's "Fault" is it?] | elephant journal | August 6, 2009
- | Happy Winter Solstice 12.21.2010 | 21 days to breaking thought patterns | Eckhart Tolle’s concept of the Pain Body | « Carolkeiter's Blog | December 20, 2010
- Does Pop Culture, Reality TV, Feed the Pain-Body? | December 1, 2012
You’re welcome Kathy and thanks for tuning into the teleseminar. Yes, getting back up with a bit more awareness… over and over… is the path. This is part of growing in presence power! All the best and thanks for tuning in. Keep warm! Greg
Thank you so much for this fabulous website and the energy you put into your podcasts. I listened to the teleseminar and very much enjoyed it.
The Pain Body Podcast was wonderful, I have listened to it a couple of times and felt reassured. Even though I know (in my mind) that the vast majority of us will spend ALL of our lives addressing, readdressing and then addressing AGAIN our Pain Bodies, it is reassuring to know that others have doubts, fall off the wagon and get back up…over and over!
THANK YOU!
KathyDV
Hello Leo,
I just returned from my walk. I’m a new subscriber and was catching up on old pocasts. I listened to #10 where you were expressing your frustration about “falling off the wagon” and having to start over with your beginner mind. I loved Greg’s response in regard to the pain body, but I just have a comment. You said in the podcast that you were having THOUGHTS racing through your mind, feeling frustrated and doubting the validity of Eckhart’s teachings. The “thoughts” are what usually trip my switch. This is your sneaky little ego trying to be important, trying to keep you wrapped up in your mind and maintain it’s existence. You also many times use the word TRY and STRUGGLE. Eckhart says many times not to TRY to get rid of the ego or the pain body; it won’t work. These are energy forms that are part of the human condition. But just becoming AWARE of them saps their power. Just as in the light there can be no darkness. Where there is awareness the ego has no power. And yes, practice is the key. I have been living with Eckhart’s teachings for a little over a year now. I never tire of reading his books. Every day I read a little bit from one of his books before I meditate. I am now on my sixth reading of A New Earth, and each time I gain new insights. A little Eckhart every day is good for the soul, and now with your podcasts and website I have yet another source of guidance. Thanks.
Thanks for the website.
good stuff!
I have been listening to Eckhardt’s Cd’s from my local library extensively for three weeks and am trying so hard to live in the present. When I am doing that life is really fun and exciting interesting things just happen. But that old ego just loves to dwell on the past and future.
I have to laugh because I am a professional Santa Claus and belong to a State and National groups and when I apply Eckhardt’s ego teachings to our behavor it is BAZARROOOOW time on a personal level and on the group level. LOL
All of us Real fat real bearded Santa’s have a pain body that won’t stop!!!! One International group actually blew apart because of all the pain bodys in red suits were crashing into each other like a pac man game!!! It was a great International group but it blew completely apart like Humpty Dumpty falling off the wall!!!!
If you “NOW” living behavioral scientists or movie producers want to see or film something funny come to a Santa Claus web site or meeting. One of the web sites is AORBS.
Eckhardt’s work has certainly opened my eyes and mind.
Like he says once you know there is no return.
They have been Calling me Santa Clarence.
Thanks again for the gift of this great healing site!!
Hey Santa Clarence.
It sounds like being a generous, kind-hearted Santa is the perfect role for an ego to usurp! What a clever disguise!
I’m glad to hear you have passed the point of no return. Welcome home!
All the best.
Greg
Tao Te Ching
Verse 62
Tao is the treasure-house
the true nature
the secret source of everything
It is the great wealth of those who are awake
the great protector of those still sleeping
If a person seems wicked
do not cast him away–
Awaken him with your words
Elevate him with your deeds
Requite his injury with your kindness
Do not cast him away
cast away his wickedness
When the emperor is crowned
or the three ministers installed
they receive a gift of jade and horses
But how can this compare
to sitting still and gaining the treasure of Tao
This is why the ancient masters
honored the inward path of Tao
DId they not say
“Seek and you will find”?
“Err and you will be forgiven”?
Within, within
This is where the world’s treasure has always been
Hey guys,
It’s good work you are doing. May it continue and may all participants be blessed with transformation and unity.
I would encourage everyone to also explore some other sources in their quest for consciousness. Heaven has given us a handful of Buddhas (enlightened masters, awakened ones) and all of them are have come to help us wake up.
Take the above post from the Tao Te Ching given to us by Lao Tzu. 81 verses to help light your inner path. Also, here are many sutras given us by the Buddha. And Jesus too was an enlightened master.
My only caution here is not to get attached to the man, for example, Tolle. When we look at modern day Christianity we can see what happens when the followers focus in too much on the man and in time miss and dilute the message. Christians today, as a result, have little clue at all about consciousness and sadly, most of them are sound asleep, even as they attend their churches each Sunday.
Men like Tolle are a door for us to enter through. I too am so grateful for his work, the Power of Now is certainly an inspired work that resonates with the message of the masters. Absorb it thoroughly as you are doing here. Just remember, to enter the room, you have to move beyond the door. The primary Buddha we seek is the one that lives within, and this is where truth will ultimately be revealed to you.
Let’s share our insights and experiences and let’s also invite the other master’s words in. In this way we can avoid the trap of focusing too much on the person, and at the same time, the work of Tolle will help illuminate the other master’s writings, while at the same time the other master’s writings will illuminate the work of Tolle for us.
Peace
Hi Kirk,
Thanks so much for your support and for contributing! I have long resonated with the Tao Te Ching – in fact, it was the first spiritual teaching that I attracted after my spiritual quest to India in 1992.
Here is my favorite passage (second half of #67)
I have just three things to teach:
simplicity, patience, and compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and in thoughts,
you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.
This is from Stephen Mitchell’s translation
Eckhart also references many teachers/teachings in all of his writings, Jesus, the Buddha, Zen masters, The Tao, A Course in Miracles – so your advice falls right in line with his approach.
Your caution is welcomed, and it may hit home with certain community members, but my sense is most of Eckhart’s fans are focused on the wisdom and insights, and not so much the man. It’s hard to focus on Tolle because he does not play up his superstar status. He is still very humble and approachable.
It’s funny you mention Christianity! I think aggravated Christians give more focus to Tolle than his fans. Christians focus to much on Tolle (or the mental image) and not so much the message. Most have not even read his books!
Yes, let’s share our insights and experiences and anyone is welcome to mention the works of other masters to help illuminate Tolle’s work!
Thanks so much Kirk and keep in touch!
Greg
Greg,
So happy to see my posts were received in the spirit they were given! Words are forms, as you know, and sometimes with the best intentions, the forms get in the way. I am still amazed how many ways I find myself still unconsciously attached to forms, and unconscious period for that matter.
I really haven’t heard from any Christians about Tolle, but I know in general,(sadly and ironically) they fight against teachings like Tolle’s and give it labels like “new age.” I come from the Christian background and it was my search for truth that led me there, but also led me beyond the form that Christianity has taken and now clings to.
Because of that background and in light of the consciousness I do have, I felt led to post what I did…not in accusation, but in genuine concern and awareness of human nature, the mind’s tendency to attach to forms, which is what being attached to any one leader or guide over another is. These are the very hindrances to enlightenment that “must be uprooted, thrown out and left behind.”
Greg, thank you for understanding and for the kind response.
Namaste
Greg, thank you also for you selection from the Tao Te Ching. In a sort of celebration of having been received well and to bring the discussion back along the lines of “The Power of Now.” I’ll offer one more verse:
Verse 21
Perfect action,
True virtue,
Supreme power,
This is how Tao is revealed
through those who follow it completely
Though formless and intangible
It gives rise to form
Though vague and elusive
It gives rise to shapes
Though dark and obscure
It is the spirit, the essence,
the life-breath of all things
“But is it real?” you ask–
I say its evidence is all of creation!
From the first moment to the present
The Name has been sounding
It is the gate
through which the universe enters
The witness
by which the universe sees
How have I come to know all this?
That very Name has told me,
That Name which is sounding right here,
right now
(Jonathan Star Translation)
Right here. Right now. Blessings to all.
Peace
Kirk
I have just happened on your site by accident really. I have developed an abiding interest in Tolle, having leaned and still do heavily to get me thru situations. I just wish that I had the violent separation that Tolle experienced. My pain body is very active but I am noticing how it has inveigled it ways into everything I do. Tolle says you need to be vigilant and if you shift from presence you gently bring yourself back. I think that process is the very beginning of the transformation, but I think you need to do this all your life, all the time. Once you shine the light of the pain it losses energy.
I just just the best I can. You guys are great , really I can hear it in your voices. Keep going.
Hey John, thanks so much for your comment! Yes, the process does require you to be very vigilant of your thoughts and emotions and to bring your attention back to presence once you become aware that your thoughts or emotions are negative. Everyone wants that big shift similar to Tolle’s experience, but for most of us it is a process that can last a lifetime. Enjoy the process my friend! Thanks so much for your beautiful reflection and definitely looking forward to keeping it going. Have a brilliant day! Greg
Dear Greg ,
please help me ,because I am 24 hrs in pain , feeling guilty , unclean , serching for something , knowing that this is not the right path to life ,but at the same time going back to the life that I don’t like …repetition . I am against me for some reason !
Hi Jean, I have been there and know how you feel. It was during this time of my life that I found Eckhart Tolle and began a journey of healing and growing in presence power. The key is to grow in presence power. How I have grown is with the inner-body meditation. You watch the videos we have on the website where I facilitate this meditation for groups or you can sign up and receive an mp3 recording of this meditation. You can also spend time in nature, spend time with animals, or with groups if you are able to connect locally.
It is a challenge to get yourself out of this kind of rut, but you can either take steps to get out or stay stuck. As you begin to take steps be careful not to place to much expectation on any practice, activity, or person. Take a step in the spirit of play or experimentation, and be open to how it leads you to the next step. The healing journey of a thousand miles begins with this step. By taking it step by step – and your path will be revealed.
I could have never imagined my life as it is now when I was in the grip of my ego/pain-body after my divorce. But I did trust in the process that Eckhart Tolle described in The Power of Now and I just kept taking steps and growing in presence power. And now that I am on the other side, I am can see that what I placed my trust in was true. Liberation from the pain is 100% possible if you trust the process and take those steps.
I am sending you love and light Jean for your journey and please feel free to write again if you have more questions or need support.
Peace, Greg
truly great to read this
Hi Greg,
Can I contact you directly some how?
Richard
Hi Greg,
Stumbled upon your sight while surfing around. Just thought I’d add something to chew on… I am a Christian and I feel like I never truly knew Christ until after reading The Power of Now. I think that book should be a mandatory teaching tool in all Christian churches. Tolle didn’t reinvent the wheel, he teaches the same things that Jesus did/does just in different words. One of the clear messages from both teachers is that only the ego takes sides.
Take care,
The unaggravated Christian
Hi Melissa, So great to hear how The Power of Now deepened your knowing of Christ! I was raised Christian and really loved how Eckhart was able to shine a light on the teachings and deepen my understanding. Yes, he does teach the same things that Jesus taught – without all the mis interpretation over the years and all the ego that penetrated the church structure. Only the ego takes sides and only the ego gets offended.
And how brilliant would it be if The Power of Now was a teaching tool for all Christian churches – used along with all the other great teachings for deepening an “experience” of the love of Christ.
Thanks so much Melissa for giving us something to chew on:)
Peace, Greg
It’s interesting that you said things often get worse. That’s the part I didn’t get. I felt so “awakened” after reading “A New Earth” and I thought the good feelings would just go on, continuously expanding, and ultimately dissolve my pain body, they didn’t! My pain body is very dense, and got smarter.
I’m glad I listened to this. I was feeling just like Leo, I wanted to give up, I felt like it’s not working, I was doubting the validity of the work, and I started looking elsewhere. I’ve been in a bad mood and really irritated for a while. I started stepping up my presence practices, and felt good in those moments, but worse afterwards. Now I see, that is often the way it works, thanks for clearing that up!
I see I have cultivated enough presence to lead me to this site, again, LOL.
Presence practices that work for me:
listening to Eckhart (audios, videos)
doing kim’s Qi flow,
going into the inner body
The audio books, over and over
doing the class with Oprah, over and over
listening to other spiritual teachers
listening to uplifting inspirational music
Divine Mother energy healing
listening to the podcasts on this site
I just go down the list until something works
So glad to see we are a part of your presence practices! Yes, the pain-body adapts to your shifts and growth and will come back at you with even more veracity as its existence feels threatened. So what to do? The basics are: don’t judge or resist the pain-body as it acts up and keep up with your presence practices. Stay grounded in your knowing that the process works and don’t get distracted by the hiccups! Thanks for sharing your list with the community! Greg
Hello, I’m new to Tolle, 6 weeks in and I had such an epiphany at first. I’m asking myself “how an I doing?” and have discovered as the dust settles, so to speak, that the simplicity of Tolle’s teachings sometimes seems really hard. I’m finding being present difficult at the moment as my old mind ways try to dominate.
Thank you
Thanks Pauline for sharing! Yes, our old ways of being have been with us for many years and have a lot of momentum. There is a process of growing in presence power and dissolving our unconscious ways of being and it is unique for each one of us. It all boils down to practice and patience, so it is very simple. The resistance that flares up can be painful, uncomfortable, and embarrassing, and you just have to accept that this is part of the journey! It’s not good or bad, just part of the process. Sending you positive vibes for your journey! Greg
I remember thirty five years ago going thru these conflicts from yoga and investigating Zen Budhism and eastern philosiphy
all I can say is stay in the cycle of frustration and eventually if you seek to get relief you will get it stay a way from wine
and drugs and gtatuitous forms of relief although if you read Sidarthur they worked for him but keep at it go far enough into the woods that you get lost then say is lost so bad.. then Life will start in a new way…
Thanks Mike for your guidance and insight! Yes, you could to stay with the cycle of frustration until relief or freedom becomes your dominant state. It has been a bumpy and frustrating path for me and so glad I stuck with it! Take care, Greg
Hello Greg and Leo, I just listened to your podcast #13 about dealing with someone else’s painbody and found it very enlightening. I fully believe in Tolle’s teachings and have been trying to put them into practice in my own life (sometimes this is much easier said than done!) The question I kept having when listening to your podcast was: If a loved one’s pain and painbody are manifesting itself directly at you, in the form of negativity or personal insults, how do you stay present and not react when their painbody is so clever at trying to hurt you, push your buttons, or invoke a reaction from you? When you are intimately involved with someone it is so very hard not to take their attacks personally, even if you are on the path to becoming enlightened. Thank you for your website, it is really wonderful. Please keep up the great work!
@acuriouslistener Thanks so much for your question. Yes, the teachings are easier said than done! For that reason, it is always a matter of focusing on your own growth. Your presence power is key to every relationship, most importantly the one with yourself, and it is the driving force behind your ability to remain present and calm when being attacked by your loved one.
You may have every reason in the world to defend yourself from the attacks of your loved one’s pain-body, but no matter how right you are, defending yourself (or your pain-body defending itself) is a long and winding road to any resolution. To remain calm, alert, and present in the face of those attacks, and even agreeing with their most outlandish remarks, is the quickest way to peace. This is accomplished by the degree of presence you are embodying at that moment. And that can change from day to day, or argument to argument.
Only your ego gets offended, or takes their attacks personally. If you know what they are saying is not true, or if you are grounded in your own truth, then there is no reason to defend yourself. I’ve had loved ones say the most outlandish things, because the pain-body is not interested in the truth or reality and is just concerned about generating a negative reaction, so by “yielding” I am able to deflate the situation much more quickly. Defending myself has rarely created a positive outcome. Yielding to the attacks of a pain-body is a very conscious response and very different from an ego/pain-body cowering in a perceived sense of defeat. So the short answer is: grow in presence power and yield! Try that and let me know how it works out for you! All the best, Greg
Hi Greg &Leo
On the topic of the pain body in others, I found your comments most helpful. What are your thoughts on another’s pain body caused by yourself. I have a very close friend and our friendship is on the brink of collapse due to my previous behavior hurting my dear friend and awakening her pain body. I’m starting to awaken as a result of my actions and this has taught me how to manage my pain body. My friend is not receptive to the possibility of her own awakening and I haven’t told her very much about my experience except in me trying to be present for her and for me to see her pure being. I know I’ve hurt her and we have hurt each other, we both love each other enough try and work through our problems. Eckhart has helped me in dealing with the situation from my perspective but I’m not sur how I should be with my friend in showing her that I’ve changed and want to help her to trust me again
Regards Patricia
Thanks Patricia for sharing! How wonderful would it be if we could take back all the pain and hurt cause by our pain-bodies! First of all you have to forgive yourself and I’m reminded of a powerful request made by Jesus, “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.” If you are not coming from a place of forgiveness for yourself, fully at peace with the past, then your ego/pain body may sneak in again and be driving you to “heal” your relationship! It can be a very tricky one.
From of place of complete presence you will be at peace with yourself for what you have done, and unattached to any outcome that my unfold with your friend. From a place of presence, you can fully embrace the healing of your friendship or its collapse. And it is from this place of presence and non-attachment that gives you the best chance of mending your relationship.
As a coach I always bring the question back around to client – so how can you show your friend that you’ve changed and allow her to trust you again? I encourage you to reflect on the question the next couple days and see what bubbles to the surface. It may be a gift. It may be a fun experience you can do together. It may be allowing her to share all her frustration and pain with you – and you being completely okay, no need to defend or justify, and offering an apology. It may be a little of all three. The solution is there and as you continue to grow in presence power it will be more easy to recognize and act upon. Let me know how it works out. Take care, Greg
Thanks Greg for your comments. I shall try not to defend my position and just “be”. I’m aware that I need to learn the difference between shelving my emotion, only to reappear later and truly forgive myself and be at peace in order for complete presence. As you mentioned in your comment to acuriouslistener, I need to yield and not feel the need to defend myself, that will be my challenge.
You are welcome Patricia. If you can embrace that challenge and make it your practice it will accelerate your growth and your healing!
Thank you Greg for that helpful reply.
It has taken me a few days to think about what you said, go back to Eckhart’s teachings and re-read things, and figure out how I can work on being present and calm in the face of a pain-body attack. I know it will be something that takes a lot of practice and strength. I also know that it will help to remember that I love my partner very much and to be able to see his pain-body as separate from who he is.
When you mention “yielding” vs cowering in defeat w/ my pain-body, what does that look like? Eckhart talks about this difference as well, but how do you maintain presence and give the other space to have their pain-body attack without appearing indifferent, unloving, uncaring? Is it a neutral facial expression? Just listening and not speaking or as you say, agreeing with their attacks?
I guess I’ll have to experience it and see what is right for me. I know that the work begins with myself and it has been my greatest challenge in my life so far.
Thank you again for your insights and for this wonderful website. Keep up the amazing work you are doing!
Yes, the best thing is to experience what that is and build upon that awareness as you grow in presence power. What does yielding look like? It looks like presence in action – alert, aware, engaged, non-reactive, non-judgmental, loving, and peaceful. Just focus on growing in presence power and your state of presence at the time of the interaction will determine how much you can yield. If you try to yield it could very much look indifferent, unloving, and uncaring as your ego tries to play the role of a yielding, spiritual person. You will feel when its real and coming from presence – so just keep on practicing until you get there. You are so welcome for the insights and the website! Peace!
Greg and Leo
I love this Podcast. I suffered for years thinking this was just the way i was, It’s just genetics. I got help and all the help I got re assured me there was something wrong with me and I needed medication. It wasn’t until tolle that I realized there wasn’t anything wrong with me at all. There is nothing wrong with the pain body, Once I became aware of it and allowed it I realized there is an awareness and that awareness is life. I enjoyed the Chris Collins anxiety call, I can’t find his webpage though I think it went offline are you aware of any other podcasts with Chris? Thank you Greg and Leo
Thanks so much Alan for sharing! I was down that same road and Eckhart’s description of the pain-body was a big shift for me too! Yes, Chris is updating his website and the link is down now. I’m not aware of any other podcasts or interviews with Chris but will let him know your interest! Sending you positive vibes for your journey! Greg
Thanks for the reply Greg. I was the heavy weight champion of pain bodies
lol. during one period while diminshing the charge of the pain body I began to experience changes in my vision. I know this was the ego messing with me 
Thanks for the info about Chris, I will continue to listen to the podcasts. You guys are beautiful and thank you.
Yes, I have also had physical manifestations after heavy pain-body activity and chalk it up to the tag team of ego/pain-body. I think many physical ailments are manifestations that arise from these underlying energy shifts that are not in balance with the body. That is good awareness to have so you don’t get caught up in searching for an external cure. Take care! Greg
Thanks so much for creating this wonderful and practical website!
I just listened to the podcast and I do recognize it….I have been going up and down for two years. At first not being aware of what it was. All the time wondering WHY!!! And it didn’t get better, actually it got worse. First it came for about a week or 2, 3 and then it would disappear for some months. But the last time the feeling stayed within me for 4 months. Non stop. sometimes at night I would feel better. I was all the time sending away my thoughts/ego. Like” I don’t need you, you don’t help me this way etc”. But it only seemed to attract more thoughts and I physically felt the resistance. Then I started to read Tolle again, and I started to practice Acceptance instead of fighting my thoughts. Within days I felt such a tremendous difference!!! I felt so peaceful. I thought that I finally found the key, that this is were the 2 years struggle has been good for. It lasted about 10 days and then the painbody started to wake up again. Now I feel sad and anxious again and it seems that the acceptance/breathing technic doesn’t have the same power as it had the first weeks.( I also do yoga and read and watch Tolle and others daily). I find it frustrating to recognize the painbody, breath through it, have some relieve for some minutes, and then start all over again.
How do you practice acceptance and awareness when you feel sad day-round?
How do you deal with ”obsessive thoughts” that are not realistic but start to be as a result of being repeated non stop for months…..
The good thing is that now that I have experienced the flow and peace of being present and not being identified with the painbody, I know that I can be there. The tricky thing now for me is, as I feel being back at square one, I discover that while I’m doing it I have expectations…..I’m focussing on the result (feeling peaceful again), which also doesn’t help…..
Thanks a lot, I deeply appreciate what you’re doing!
You are so welcome Ann and thanks for sharing your situation and for the great questions! Yes, that is challenging to practice acceptance when you feel the pain-body day-round. It certainly is not pleasant and no one would choose this state to be their experience. So if you are experiencing a heavy pain-body episode, hold on to that deeper knowing that “this too shall pass.” It is very rare that a pain-body take someone over without any relief for an extended period of time. And once you realize what you are really dealing with, through the teachings of Tolle or another teacher, then you possess your most precious gift of all – awareness. As Eckhart states, “Awareness is the greatest agent for change.”
And as you have experienced, once the pain-body realizes you are aware of it, I find it tends to strike back with greater intensity. This is actually a good thing in the long run, because it exposes itself to the light of your consciousness. That is what will eventually dissolve it and allow you to experience liberation in greater and greater degrees. Just keep practicing acceptance when it arises, and when it is dormant be diligent with your meditation and other practices.
It is the same with obsessive thoughts. Practice acceptance when they are there, then when they subside get back to your meditation and spiritual practices. It is through growing in presence power via spiritual practices that liberate you from the pain-body and obsessive thinking. Practice presence repeatedly throughout the day, and with a more traditional meditation routine, knowing that the fruit of these actions will bring about the change you know is within your potential. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Take care, Greg
Thank you Greg, for your response. It really helps me to carry on. You said that it’s rare that the painbody takes someone over without any relief. For me it feels that I’m the “rare case”. It is so very strong, so dominant, day long. I had, in 5 months time,”only” had a period of 10 days being relieved and felt very peaceful, really wonderful, as I wrote in my first comment. But then it came back so badly.
I feel it as a physical anxious sensation, a stressed body. Somehow I can’t see my painbody or my thoughts separate from myself in this stage. It becomes a difficult practice when feeling so overwhelmed. Don’t know where to start then and how to ”visualize or see” it. So what I do instead is just breathing deeply and conciously whenever I feel an emotion coming up in my body. But I can’t do it day long even though it’s a day long feeling. I sometimes think that it will never change whatever I meditate, read and breath….Why is it such a struggle? Is it normal not to feel progress. Does that mean I’m stuck in the process?
Thanks a lot, Ann
You’re welcome Ann. Some great questions you have here. Why is it such a struggle? I think a few things add to this. First, how long you have been unconscious before awakening to your condition can be a key factor. If you go 30 or 40 years before awakening, then your ego/pain-body has had all that time to construct your physical and energetic body in a way that sustains it’s existence. So there is a lot of momentum there and one does not break that up and establish new flows, habits, and positive patterns overnight. But I’m convinced that all people can be liberated from these strong ties if they remain committed and patient with the path of their transformation. Does it take time? As Eckhart so profoundly shares in his teachings – no. Thinking in terms of time is a trap. But it does take a commitment to your transformation. Eckhart has stated that dissolving your ego/pain-body is your most important responsibility and the one thing that will make the biggest difference.
The other thing that you need to be aware of is that you live in a collective pain-body. There is some big pain-body energy flowing around the planet that emanates from entire tribes, religions, cultures, and nations. Those are strong forces and you have to be aware of them, or you could personalize a collective flow of pain-body. Imagine all the people psychologically traumatized by 9/11 even though they lived thousands of miles from the site and had no personal connections to any one hurt or killed.
Is it normal not to feel progress? Yes, and it does not mean that you are stuck. Transformation comes in waves. Some days the water is calm and not much is going on. And other days the waves are big and lots of healing energy is swirling around.
So it is important to know in your gut that you are fully capable of transformation and shedding the suffering for an experience of freedom or liberation. I have never wavered in this knowing since around 2002 and I have found this knowing to be an invaluable companion on my journey. And since then I have continually transformed and found ever deeper levels of peace, calm, and joy!
Take care Ann and let me know if you have any other questions!
Greg
can I say Greg that I find the site extremely helpful I have posted before and can assure people watching that it does work. You find peace with yourself but you must commit to practice staying in the now in the way Tolle has taught. I have come back to this site again and again when I have fallen off and it has always uplifted me. God bless you for what you re doing and continue to do.
Thanks so much John. So glad to hear that you find our site uplifting and extremely helpful. Yes, it does work and daily awareness/practice is so essential. Thanks again for your encouraging words and support! Greg
I found this website when I Googled “Depression after reading Eckhart Tolle” and clicked on the link to this podcast “When the Pain Body Awakens.” I had read “A New Earth” when it was Oprah’s book club selection and I watched the webcast series that she and Eckhart did about the book. I had an awakening at that time, but later started having problems with depression (a reoccurring problem for me) and felt disillusioned. I would reread parts of the book over the years (and in looking back I can’t believe it was 2008, it seems only a couple of years ago), but was still struggling with depression and problems in dealing with people. When I listened to this podcast it really clicked for me. I didn’t know that the pain body could creep back into my life! I started to reread “A New Earth” from cover to cover, re-watched Oprah’s webcasts on each chapter, and have been listening to many of the podcasts on this website as well. I am feeling great and feel like I finally really “get it” and have a much deeper understanding of Eckhart’s teachings. Some of the other “teachers” you feature in your podcasts have helped me too. I am so grateful to you, Greg and Leo, for this website!
You are so welcome Marianne and thanks for sharing your experience. Your situation is a very common trap and I’m so happy to hear that our podcasts were able to help you “get it” at a deeper level. Keep up with the good work and let me know if you have any questions. Take care, Greg
hi greg, how grateful i am right now to have found your site. what a wonderful thing you have put together. so, thank you!
i have suffered from extreme and often debilitating anxiety for as long as i can remember(i am 27), and have battled my way out of near-suicidal depression on more than a handful of occasions in my life. i have read eckhart on and off for years. a friend handed me the Tao te Ching mid-2010, and after reading for just 10 minutes, something switched; for the first time in my life i saw everything around me completely differently. i felt love and in awe of everything, even myself. for a while nothing could stir negative emotions or thoughts, it wasn’t even a thought. i followed the Tao for the next 8 months or so, entered into a romantic relationship, and the text fell to the wayside. needless to say, i am now without the relationship and seeking healing once again. right now i feel anger at myself for having veered from my previously strong intentions in following the Tao.
during this time of my relative ‘joyous’ living, i, for the first time, believed that i was capable of raising a child- what i want Most in life, but never thought i could have.
the fact that i have slipped effects my faith that i will be able to raise children/be the loving, supportive, strong inspiring mother i know i could be without anxiety. right now it is hard to go back to the Tao or The Power of Now or anything else for that matter. i am having a hard time concentrating on even reading because of my current and newly found extreme self-doubt and my focused thoughts on whether a child will ever be a reality for me.
any readings you could suggest on entering into a relationship with someone who isn’t a follower of the Tao or Eckhart would be wonderful, as i am bewildered at how this might work.
just writing this to you has made things a bit lighter.
my deep appreciation for any of your insights.
blessings to you,
sg
Your are so welcome! So wonderful that writing out your thoughts has made your situation a bit lighter. It was great to hear about your experience with the Tao… I had something similar after I returned from the spiritual quest to India in 1992. And like you, I had a time of relative peace and positive emotions. And similar to you, I entered into a romantic relationship (and also got married and divorced) and when the relationship ended I went through a very negative and angry period.
I just want to let you know that this type of experience is very common… as the pain-body does not give up easily and will rebuild itself to strike back again. It’s very similar to how we use antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. Soon the bacteria evolves and it becomes immune. The pain-body also evolves and you grow spiritually, so you have to recognize that and continue with spiritual practices that allow you to grow. And if reading no longer works for you, try something new… meditate, yoga, volunteering to hold infants, walks in nature. Keep growing and don’t get hung up on the past, don’t get angry about how you veered off path. That anger is a sure sign of egoic attachment.
A lot of people never experience a release from the ego so you should feel fortunate!
And during your time of “joyous” living what bubbled up from this space of presence, the truth, was an intuitive sense that you were capable of raising a child. How good to know that!
Now that your ego/pain-body are a bit stronger at the moment your faith has slipped. I understand that. What I want you to know is that you are a loving, supportive, strong, and inspiring mother! This is who you are and it is only covered over by the thin vail of your unconsciousness. So I would encourage you to continue to grow in presence power, which will enable you to embody all those qualities of a mother that are already within you.
And remember, those qualities will never be fully realized until you have a baby. A baby is a powerful force that can pull those mothering qualities from deep within. There is no way to know what it is to be a mother until you are one. Just as I had no idea what it was like to be a father until I was one. You just have to be a mother in order to know what it is. From what I have been able to see.. being a mother is a truly remarkable experience.
As far as entering into a relationship with someone who is not of Tolle or the Tao, a book does not come to mind. A lot of experts would suggest that having a common spiritual connection with your partner is important for creating a successful relationship. I think it is important also. That being said, when I first met my wife she was not on a spiritual path. But she was open and curious about my passion for Eckhart’s teachings and that was enough to get us started. I had already burned through a lot of my ego because of my early experiences in life, whereas she had not. So we have had some trying times in our marriage because of the ego/pain-body… and we are in such a better space now because we each provided “space” and understanding throughout the flow of our growth together. Eckhart has stated that offering that “space” in a relationship is the greatest gift you can give to another human being.
I hope that helps with your situation. Let me know if you have any other questions. Greg
Greg, wow, i am so appreciative of your very thoughtful response. i’d say you’ve awakened some things in me. understanding things a bit more- the cycle of things, but at the same time, the growth that occurs. how hard it is to see when you’re in it!
you are right, i do feel extremely fortunate for that time period in my life. thank you for reminding me! and for reminding me also that i already am all of these qualities i deem important in parenting.
you are very smart and wise. and a wonderful human being for doing what you do.
ohhh the questions i have… but for now i will go on a walk!
feeling grateful.
thank you thank you thank you
sydney
Im 41yo and just came out of a relationship.WE were casual lovers for three years then commited to eachother for six months. My ex partner has D.I.D she says and i found myself becoming clingy to her and to protect her. I didnt realize this until afterwards. We were very much inlove with eachother,we never fought but on two occasions in six months we blew up at eachother. I left and then tried to come back the next day. She didnt speak to me for weeks then finally sent me an email saying she will always love me but can never be with me because we trigger eachother so badly. Ive been doing the needy txt after txt thing which i believe has just pushed her away even more, i couldnt help myself.I cant help thinking we could be great now that im aware of my painbody but she doesnt even want to listen. I struggle with this because a week before the fight we were planning marriage. Its been two months and ive got to a point where letting go of my minds control is the most important thing to me now as it wasnt just her i was clingy with, ive been doing this my whole life, i can see it now. My problem is that the grief and loss from loosing her feels like its in the way of healing past beliefs. She is in the same circle of friends as i am and when i see her at social gatherings she has moved on so easy it drives me into depression further. Plus all these things from past beliefs come up regularly now and im finding some social anxiety in me. I think thats been there before too but not as intense. My friends party hard and shes there with them, should i take some time away while i go through this phase of self realization. I feel i want to but get drawn back for reasons such as, clinging to my friends, shell be there and not being a coward or a recluse.
Thanks for sharing your situation… I find that relationships are the most challenging areas of life and have always been especially challenging for me. I have always been clingy too as my ego got so wrapped up in what my partner was for me. This is a very unhealthy place to come from in a relationship. So it is important to grow spiritually so our egos are less in control and we can be a space of unconditional love and listening for our partners.
Whenever we experience a break up, it is always good to honor the natural mourning period and be with those emotions. It sounds like you are beyond that so moving on with your life is good. With relationships, it can help us grow spiritually to be in a relationship and to not be in a relationship. If you are in a relationship, it will typically trigger your ego/pain-body and allow you to see where you are not yet free (see podcast with Jim Dreaver). If you are in a truly committed relationship, and don’t confuse your partners ego/pain-body with who they really are, then the relationship can burn up a lot of unconsciousness.
At the same time, when you are not in a relationship, you have time and space for yourself to focus on activities that allow you to grow in presence power… meditating, yoga, retreats, reading, journalling, and exercise. And if part of that process is taking some time off from friends and those old patterns, that can be a good thing. I would recommend that you check out various spiritual communities in your area and see if you can join them for activities and social outings.
I would say that you have a wonderful opportunity to grow spiritually, to discover a deeper essence, and in doing so you will be in a much better place to invite a new relationship into your life. By growing in self love, you will have a more authentic love to give to that next partner in your life.
I hope this helps with your situation. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Take care, Greg
Hello,
I have been on a journey this year, after experiencing anxiety which became very intense in April. I found reference to The Power of Now in an article online about recovery from anxiety.
This was about 3 months ago and I have felt blessed to have come across Eckarts teachings since then. I share his wisdom often and I am reassured by the fact that all spiritual teachers speak the same truth.
I came across your site today because this afternoon I experienced again a flood of anxiety. All my old doubts and fears reappeared and the horrible thought about my new knowledge “It doesn’t work, it’s all nonsense etc”.
So to help snap me out of it I decided to go online for some Eckhart inspiration and found this podcast. It was just what I needed to hear. That the pain body was just jumping up and down to get attention. It was nice to hear about others that are on the same path having a similar experience!
Practice makes perfect!
Thank you for the reassurance.
Much love,
Amy
I have been bingeing on Eckhart for a week now as I wrestle with a horrible pain body outbreak. Thank God for him and for you and for the people who posted above. I am in awe of how destructive my pain body is, how quickly it resurfaced and how challenged I am by the work of staying present. Can you say something about how pop culture, reality tv, etc, feed the pain body? I am so drawn to that stuff as a distraction from my pain but somewhere I understand it’s like any other addiction, and that it is only making my pain body stronger as I seek to detach from it in unhealthy ways.
Hi Wendy!
Thanks for sharing your experience and your question! Yes, pop culture is a potent distraction and can be a road block if you are not committed to growing in presence power. I’ve been listening to A New Earth a lot lately on my commute to work. In one section Eckhart Talks about all of these distractions and others, like drugs and sex, and how they re-enforce the pain-body. The spiritual path is about rising above thoughts, so that the thoughts can be there but with no negative energy that hooks into us and sends us down a raging river of pain-body imbued thoughts and emotions. So rising above thoughts by practicing meditation, walking in nature, or doing yoga… is the conscious intention.
An addiction to pop culture submerges our consciousness below thoughts… so the distraction might feel like a needed relief from the suffering caused by our egoic thinking, but when we come off the high, turn off the TV, or feel stuffed from binge eating, then we still have to face our pain-body fueled thinking sooner or later.
So it is best to grow in presence power knowing you are elevating your consciousness above the vibration of thought… and consciously deal with the suffering and annoyance of the experience you are having now with your pain-body. This way you will reach the light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. Otherwise, you will be forced into a lifetime of distraction and brief moments of relief, only to be subjugated by your ego fueled thoughts again and again and again.
Make it your intention to rise above… it is the only true path toward the richest human experience! Greg
I feel more frustrated since reading these books than before. Now that I am aware of my ego and pain body I am constantly in a state of confusion . I am a mom of two amazing kids, a wife of an amazing man and I am a mess. Constantly trying to be in the present moment is taking its toll on me
(( desperate for help.. So tired..
leann, when I read your question I recognize a similaar voice in my own head. It uses words like “I feel…frustrated,” “constant…confusion,” “I am a mess,” “desperate,” and “so tired.”
This is the pain body speaking. Just recognize it for what it is.
Your pain body says: “Constantly trying to be in the present moment is taking its toll on me.” You see, it knows!
Tolle says: “If you are present, the painbody cannot feed anymore on your thoughts, or on other people’s reactions. You can simply observe it, and be the witness, be the space for it. Then gradually, its energy will decrease.”
Hi
Thanks for your article. I notice when I’m around a particular person they seem to provoke my pain body, which I take out on them. Once it’s passed, I can then see more clearly and feel guilty. I try to make amends, but my pain body arises again when I’m around them, so that I either sit in silence with that person/try to stay away/ignore them so as not take it out on them. They can see this, which makes me feel worse. It doesn’t feel right to keep doing this when I know that this person is going through a really difficult time, and I don’t know how to break the cycle. It feels like someone hitting their partner, apologizing afterwards and then repeating the same pattern even though they can see the pattern – the actual situation is nowhere as bad as this, but it’s still the same energy play all be it on a less intense and more subtle level.
I too am on the receiving end of lots of pain bodies at work. For example, one guy I work with always tends to overreact to any request or information I ask from him, tries to make me appear wrong and this has been going on for over a year.I really am not intending to provoke people’s pain bodies but it seems to happen time and time again, and although the reaction I get has lessened in intensity since i started over a year ago, the pattern is still there, to the point where it’s draining me and I feel more and more despondent. I know that it may be because people are responding to me at an energy level I’m not fully conscious of e.g. not feeling worthy etc, or even if I can see it I know I cannot transform myself overnight. But I feel like I’m constantly being pulled into other people’s dramas and I want to know how to break this. How can I stop provoking other people’s pain bodies when it truly isn’t my intention? I don’t want to be the source of people’s irritation, anger etc. I feel I have been really patient and understanding and not reacting to other people’s pain bodies, but deep down it really hurts me, and to be thought of the cause of people’s pain or blamed for things that aren’t my fault, or being tripped up because people feel threatened/or insecure. I’m at the point of quitting my job but I don’t want to carry this energy into next workplace only to have the pattern repeated again.
How can I break this pattern when i can see both sides? How can I be with my pain body when it gets activated when I’m around a particular person without ignoring/going quiet/getting irritated with them and making them feel bad about being around me as I know they can sense what’s going on?How can I stop provoking pain bodies in other people?