The Pain Body

Reclaiming Power from the Pain Body: Moving Beyond Trauma and Grief

Today, I want to talk about something challenging. It’s a topic that dives deep into trauma, grief, and those lingering past experiences that continue to define our present. Before we begin, I want to make a disclaimer: I may use language that could feel activating or even minimizing. I want to be clear that I do not condone abuse, nor do I believe that people should experience pain and suffering. But the reality is, many of us do. My goal here is to compassionately challenge the narrative of trauma and the ongoing suffering that can go along with it.

If you find yourself rejecting what I’m about to say—wonderful. Explore that reaction. Reflect on it, talk it out with others, and find what’s meaningful for you. And if it doesn’t resonate, kindly allow me to F off. That resistance you feel may actually be helpful; it could open up something in you, allowing you to move more freely in your life. And if what I’m saying does resonate, if it offers new awareness or helps you along your path, I’m so glad and deeply grateful.

In The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle introduces the concept of the “pain body.” The pain body is an accumulation of past emotional pain, trauma, and suffering that we continue to carry, both individually and collectively. It’s a living memory of our pain—one that can unconsciously dominate our thoughts, feelings, and actions. This pain body often becomes activated by certain triggers, leading us to relive past trauma as if it’s happening all over again. In doing so, we may find ourselves over-identifying with this pain, feeling it is who we are. We may lose sight of our present and find ourselves trapped in cycles of PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and an overwhelming sense of fear.

What I’ve noticed, both in my therapeutic work and in psychedelic healing spaces, is an over-identification with this pain body—either on a personal or collective level. And this over-identification keeps us rooted in a sense of victimhood, as though our past defines us, trapping us in a loop of suffering that’s alive in our present. This cycle is miserable, and it keeps us from truly living.

So here’s my invitation, my what if.

What if you stopped identifying with the pain? What if you stopped seeing yourself as a victim of your past and began to see yourself as someone who has power here and now? What if you stopped externalizing your suffering and, instead, chose to reclaim it, bringing yourself fully into the present? Right here, right now, in this moment—look around at what you have, who you love, and the small or large joys available to you. Reclaim that power.

I am not suggesting this is easy. Letting go of the pain body requires courage, patience, and determination. But I believe that each of us is far more capable and powerful than we often give ourselves credit for. You have survived unimaginable experiences, you have learned, and you have grown. You are here now. Imagine letting go of the pain body and beginning to identify instead with your strength, your resilience, and the possibility of joy and meaning that already exists around you.

This shift doesn’t erase your past, nor does it ignore the real impact of trauma. Rather, it offers you a chance to reclaim your life from it. To live fully in the present. To recognize that you can hold all your experiences—the good and the painful—and still choose to focus on the life you want to create. It’s a choice to notice the love around you, to focus on what you want, to relate to what you can control, and to live from a place of strength rather than suffering.

So, what if you gave yourself permission to let go of the pain body? To expand on what you want to experience, by noticing what already exists here and now. You have power. You have resilience. And most of all, you have the present—filled with possibility, and more than enough to support your journey forward.