Can You Shift the Way You Experience Pain?

Have you ever fallen unexpectedly? Not the kind where you see it coming and have a second to brace yourself. I mean one minute you're perfectly fine and the next... you're on the ground wondering, What just happened?

If you've experienced that or any sudden accident, you probably remember how quickly your body reacted. Your heart started pumping faster, adrenaline kicked in, your muscles tightened, and your breathing changed. Maybe you gasped, screamed, or yelped. Before you even had time to understand what happened, your body was already trying to protect you. It's not doing anything wrong. It's doing exactly what it was designed to do.

That's exactly what happened to me recently. I was walking through my office carrying a coffee pot filled with water, a mug, and a glass container. I didn't trip. I didn't slip. I didn't lose consciousness. One moment I was walking, and the next my body seemed to buckle beneath me so abruptly that afterward I could only describe it as feeling as though someone had pushed me from behind.

And then everything went flying. Glass shattered, water splashed everywhere, there was blood, my knee hurt, and I had a laceration near my hip. I knew I'd banged myself up pretty well. And yes... I yelped! a few times.

Then, almost immediately, I became very focused. I guess nearly 30 years of practicing—and preaching!—the power of the mind kicked in. I couldn't change what had just happened, but I knew I could take charge of the conversation happening in my mind about what happened next.

I began assessing myself. I'm conscious. I'm in sound mind. Did I hit my head? Can I move? Where am I hurt? I wasn't pretending everything was okay. It wasn't. My knee hurt, I could see blood, and my body had clearly taken quite an impact.

So I stayed where I was for a moment and became very conscious of my breathing. I took several slower, deeper breaths before attempting to get up. I wanted to stay present, assess what was happening, and keep my mind from racing ahead into panic. And this is where something I've practiced for years came in naturally: Self-hypnosis.

Now, when I say hypnosis, what comes to your mind? Someone swinging a watch in front of your face? Being asleep? Someone else having control over your mind? Or perhaps you imagine you need to be lying somewhere completely relaxed in a peaceful, Zen-like state.

One of the greatest misconceptions about hypnosis is that people believe they're asleep, that someone else takes control of their mind. The truth is much simpler—and much more empowering. Hypnosis is a state of focused attention.
‍And believe me, sitting there surrounded by broken glass, water dripping, and blood, I was focused! I didn't need soft music. I didn't need my eyes closed. I certainly wasn't in a Zen-like state.  I became present and very intentional.

You see, I didn't tell myself, "There's no pain." My body knew better. Why would I give my brain and subconscious a message that completely contradicted what I was actually experiencing? Instead, I acknowledged what was real and gave my subconscious a more believable instruction: "Now... let's reduce this pain to discomfort. From a 9... to a 6."

Not zero - but Six. Something believable. Something measurable. I wasn't asking my mind to deny the pain. I was redirecting it, giving my subconscious something realistic to work toward.

That's an important distinction. Redirection is not pretending something isn't happening. It's acknowledging what is happening and then intentionally directing the focus toward what you want your mind is to image and do next.

Think about a time when you were frightened, hurting, or suddenly overwhelmed. What did you tell yourself? Oh my God, this is terrible. I can't handle this. Something is really wrong. This is the worst thing that can happen. Our minds can move incredibly quickly from what is actually happening to everything we're afraid might happen next. And our bodies are listening to that conversation. That's why I believe the words we use with ourselves matter so much.

This wasn't the first time I've used self-hypnosis to influence how I experience physical pain. For years, I've chosen to have my dental work without anesthesia or numbing medication. My dentist, even endodontist, have shared a testimonial about watching me use hypnosis during dental procedures.

Now, please don't read that and decide Liza told you to cancel the Novocain at your next dental appointment! I did not. That's my personal choice and my personal experience. The point isn't whether you would ever choose to do what I do. The point is that your mind may have far more influence over your experience than you realize.

Pain is real. Fear is real. Stress is real. But so is your ability to influence where your mind goes next.

Years ago, I created a masterclass called PAIN to GAIN™ around this very idea, because pain isn't always physical, is it? Sometimes we feel Powerless. We become Anxious. We feel Insecure. And before we know it, we're caught in Negative thinking. P-A-I-N. Maybe you've been there. Maybe you're there right now. But what if that's not where your story has to end? What if you could begin redirecting PAIN toward GAIN. Recognizing your Greatness, feeling Acknowledged, becoming more Independent in how you think, choose, and respond, and allowing yourself to feel Nurtured, including by the way you speak to yourself? G-A-I-N.

Yours is not to fall onto a hardwood floor surrounded by broken glass to experience a moment when life suddenly knocks you off balance. Maybe for you it's an unexpected phone call, a difficult conversation, a relationship that changed, a health scare, a disappointment you didn't see coming, a problem at work, or simply one of those days when everything seems to happen at once.

You may not always have control over that first moment. I certainly didn't. But you may have much more influence over the next moment than you realize.

So the next time life catches you off guard, pause for a moment. Assess what's actually happening. Become conscious of your breathing. Focus. And then redirect. Ask yourself, What am I telling myself right now? Is it true? Is it helping me? What could I say instead that my mind can actually believe?

Maybe the answer isn't, "Everything is wonderful." Your subconscious may know perfectly well that it isn't. Maybe the redirection is simply, "I'm here. I'm safe in this moment. Let me see what I can do next."

My fall left me bruised and with a laceration that needed medical attention. I sought care, iced my injuries, and gave my body the attention it needed. But it also reminded me of something I've spent nearly three decades sharing with others: We can't always control what happens to us, but we can learn to influence what happens next.

And perhaps today, this message isn't about physical pain for you at all. Maybe there's another kind of pain you've been carrying—one no one can see. Perhaps it's something in your heart, your thoughts, your work, your relationships, or a story you've been telling yourself for years.

That's a conversation I'd like to have with you next, because sometimes the pain we've learned to tolerate isn't physical at all.

And yes... we can learn to redirect that, too.

PAIN to GAIN™ is a masterclass I created for individuals, teams, organizations, and groups who want to better understand the power of focused attention, subconscious patterns, stress, resilience, and the way we respond when life doesn't go according to plan.

Interested in experiencing PAIN to GAIN™ for yourself or bringing it to your team or organization? Reach out. I'd love to have that conversation with you.

Until then, pay attention to the conversation happening inside your own mind.

Because it is listening.

Because You Matter.

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