Pain and visionary experiences

Has anyone else experienced dream/vision/journey experiences when in severe pain? I'd heard about it before but never known it myself until these past few days when in pain. I can't exactly say that it was escapism but more like a kind of meditation to calm the pain.

Likewise, pain meds bringing on a sleepy, calm state where visionary images spring forth?

Not that I am advocating being in pain or taking drugs to achieve altered states but it has been an interesting past few days. Anyone else had a similar experience?

Yep.

Extreme pain can act as a kind of slingshot to fling you into other worlds. The trick is to remember, and to learn how to control crossing worlds without having to be plunged into pain.

Well done!

Yep, one day it was so bad I figured out the secret of alchemy ... and 5 other things.
Fortunately, unlike nitrous oxide, one remembers one's realisations afterwards (while NO3 just makes you wonder what 'all that' was about after you straighten out.

My Grandad told me thats how he learned to consciously leave his body and travel 'astrally' - from when he was in a POW camp.

I have never had this happen during pain or under the effects of pain medication. I have had similar experiences when under extreme anxiety and stress. My guess would be the chemical imbalances under dire situations may lead to some sort of trigger. Not positive on this just a thought.

Milfoil said:

Has anyone else experienced dream/vision/journey experiences when in severe pain? I'd heard about it before but never known it myself until these past few days when in pain. I can't exactly say that it was escapism but more like a kind of meditation to calm the pain.

Likewise, pain meds bringing on a sleepy, calm state where visionary images spring forth?

Not that I am advocating being in pain or taking drugs to achieve altered states but it has been an interesting past few days. Anyone else had a similar experience?

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yes, I have had this experience many times. As Siochanai also brought up, that its not just physical pain that can bring these experiences. I have had it happen with physical pain as well as from severe stress and emotional pain and trauma.

it is also true, of course that pain medications can help to bring these experiences on as well, due to the calm it gives us. We also all know it can cause visions and experiences too, of course that are only due to the strong medication. But, I think you would know the difference, as I believe you have had these same experiences in the past, milly--w/o any medications and w/o pain, have you not?

I wonder if it was something specific though, that you bring it up here and while you mention it helped you like a calming meditation--was it also something more then that? another spiritual awakening perhaps? or did it predict something that came to be?

interesting post.

When I was 11/ 12 I was tortured. Taken away from my pagan / shamanistic father and stuck into a christian orphanage. They wanted me to become christian....
I was beaten by nuns on the back, belly and upper arms and legs - where the welts and bruises can not be seen when wearing cloths.
They used thin swishy iron rods - like curtain rods, leather straps and other fine equipment..... My only chance to survive was to "escape" the pain by going into trance. There I could see, what was going on elsewhere at the same time - or earlier or what will happen.........
I did not feel the pain then, only after.... and then scare the nuns even more when reporting that back to them what I saw and when it was found out to be accurate.

Now I usually "journey" on the pain, when at the dentist - so I do not need freezing.....

Journeying to feel the physical pain of a client is something different - Then I feel their pain in my body while on the journey - but it is all gone when the journey ends. I am just exhausted.....

nisaba said:

Extreme pain can act as a kind of slingshot to fling you into other worlds. The trick is to remember, and to learn how to control crossing worlds without having to be plunged into pain.

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Yes, that's sort of how I found it, one moment the pain is intense, the next, I am off somewhere . . . Interesting.

As I say, I have heard others speak about it but never experienced that myself so it was new for me.

ravenest said:

Yep, one day it was so bad I figured out the secret of alchemy ... and 5 other things.
Fortunately, unlike nitrous oxide, one remembers one's realisations afterwards (while NO3 just makes you wonder what 'all that' was about after you straighten out.

My Grandad told me thats how he learned to consciously leave his body and travel 'astrally' - from when he was in a POW camp.

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It does start to explain how our ancestors 'inadvertently' possibly came across the means by which to 'fly' into the other realms and times.

Siochanai said:

I have never had this happen during pain or under the effects of pain medication. I have had similar experiences when under extreme anxiety and stress. My guess would be the chemical imbalances under dire situations may lead to some sort of trigger. Not positive on this just a thought.

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Yes, so have I. Extreme mental distress has triggered this in the past. In fact, it was the path that brought me to my spiritual path . . .

celticnoodle said:

it is also true, of course that pain medications can help to bring these experiences on as well, due to the calm it gives us. We also all know it can cause visions and experiences too, of course that are only due to the strong medication. But, I think you would know the difference, as I believe you have had these same experiences in the past, milly--w/o any medications and w/o pain, have you not?

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Yes, I am aware of the difference between drug induced sensations/images and otherwise, however, when one runs into the other seamlessly and the information imparted is verifyable, then the means or method of entering trance then takes on less importance than the message itself.

celticnoodle said:

I wonder if it was something specific though, that you bring it up here and while you mention it helped you like a calming meditation--was it also something more then that? another spiritual awakening perhaps? or did it predict something that came to be?

Click to expand...

Definitely something is going on. What that is however, remains to be seen.