Mindfulness Dimensions

Ten years ago I experienced a catastrophic event; a serious head injury and with
it all the typical symptoms of a mild traumatic brain injury; memory loss, balance
and locomotion issues, emotional dysregulation, aversion to bright light,
including some strong sensations of pain at the region of the impact at the back
of my head and down my neck. Rather than ride on a course of strong pain relief indefinitely, I searched out alternative paths of literally getting back on
my feet again. Word of mouth eventually led me to a popular MBSR meditation
program here in Toronto.

I admit I was cynical at first. How could being in silence heal anything? I was also
thinking I couldn’t possibly sit still for five or ten minutes, let alone twenty minutes in that first class! My doubts were soon dispelled; there was nothing weird or out of the ordinary about meditating other than to simply pay attention to your experience in a kind and compassionate way. By the end of the course, I had weaned myself off my dependence on strong pain medications by cultivating my own inner resources for relaxation and managing my chronic pain. Also, I came to understand different ways of being in healthy relationship with so many other aspects in my life not withstanding dealing with ‘stress’. My mindfulness meditation practice saved my life. It was transformative and continues to transform my life every day.