Based on what I understand of Mr. Tolle explanation of the PainBody, it seems to be an entity of its own within us that basically has its own identity derived from pain. I believe the painbody consist of emotional and physical pain. The painbody thrives on pain; specifically emotional pain and it cannot survive with out it. The painbody did not have an identity of its own in our early childhood because we were ignorant to emotional pain; all we knew then were physical pains. Emotional pains are based on social understandings, concepts, and structures. When we are socialized the pain body develops an identity, which makes sense because that’s when we start developing our identities too. For example “heartbreak”, is a socialized emotional pain. By socialized emotional pain I mean you only understand what it is once you defined or assigned meaning to some interaction you’re having. (i.e. my girlfriend cheats or dumps me, I’ll be heartbroken, because I’ve assigned meaning to our interactions and our relationship). Now I’m inclined to believe 1-3 year olds don’t assign such meaning to interactions or themselves. I can’t begin to think a two year old feels heartbroken. So the painbody must begin its feeding once an individual has become socialized. Once socialized; we begin to seek out existences through definitions; we seek to define ourselves relative to everyone else and the world. Every time we experience something that counters our belief, the painbody feeds. The painbody in essence is our socialized emotional pain compounded. From the first time you felt sad, angry, bitter, depressed, or disappointed to present day. There are painbodies unique to the individual, and then there are collective painbodies.
So how do you know your painbody is activated? Ask yourself this question, has someone ever done something, or said something to you that mad you so filled with rage, anger, or sadness it’s as if you were totally enveloped by the emotion? That’s the pain body identifying with past experiences and adding the current one to the catalog. So it’s as if you’re experiencing all those past experiences in the present moment, and that’s why the feeling is so strong or intensified. So the first step is to recognize when a negative feeling becomes rapidly present and intense, because the recognition of it allows you to be un-identified with it. The reason you need to be un-identified with it is because its strength diminishes when you realize it’s not you, its not how you want to be, it’s not how you want to feel. Identifying with it means you’re welcoming it; therefore you’ll become consumed by it. Even when you‘ve realized the painbody and resisted its flare-up’s it’s not that simple. The painbody is quite the seductive spirit. Emotions are quite seductive in nature, they change and have derivatives which you may not recognize at first. The painbody needs to feed, so even when you managed to stop painbody flare ups triggered by external forces, the pain body will attempt to trigger itself by creating a situation in your mind. For example have you ever seen someone throw fits of rage for no apparent reason? Ever seen someone start verbally or physically attacking someone for no apparent reason? Maybe you’ve verbally blew up at a cashier or maybe an atm machine for not doing something you wanted? That’s the painbody creating imagined situations so you can envoke it. The painbody wants you to lose your cool; because once you lose control it assumes it.
The best representation I can think of is the Marvel comic fictional character Bruce Banner and his rage filled counterpart the Incredible Hulk.
Bruce Banner becomes so consumed by his painbody that he transforms into his raged filled self which is totally different from his normal self.
Your painbody can also be activated by other people’s painbody. Ever wondered why misery loves company? Why someone who’s miserable can suck you into that miserable state of mind? If you allow them, painbodies feed off of pain. It can be your pain; it can be someone else’s pain. Don’t allow it? If you see someone totally consumed by their painbody and they try to make you consumed by your painbody by angering you, don’t allow them. Now collective painbodies can be experienced by nations, ethnic/racial groups, or gender. An example of a national painbody would be the one that was experienced by the majority of Americans against Muslims and people of middle eastern decent, directly after the attacks of 9/11. The simple utterance of 9/11 triggers that national painbody. You know at that point the painbody was so strong the masses did not speak out against the invasion of Iraq; we were so consumed with anger and the need for retribution that we acted. We know it’s irrational now, because Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction and Saddam and his regime were actually opposed to the real perpetrators of the crime (al-Qaeda) because they posed a threat to his power. Ethnic/racial painbodies would be triggered by slurs or derogatory words used against that race or ethnic group. Think for a moment…is there an ethnic/racial slur that invokes anger in a specific race? Even if an individual in that race wasn't directly the victim of such a slur, it may enrage him or her. That is a collective painbody that has been alive for many years, and continues to live because people allow it to. Lastly painbodies can be collective of a specific gender. For example many women assume that all guys are after one thing or all guys are cheaters. This assumed idea fuels the collective painbody that women use to identify with each other and downplay guys. Imagine a panel of women, or girl’s night out. Have you ever found your conversation focusing on bashing the male sex, with everyone in passionate agreement and en-raged by men for no logical reason? That’s the collective female painbody. I would imagine men experience something similar. But you must all be the one that refuses to accept that invitation. Don’t allow the painbody to seduce you. Be aware that it will sometimes try to sneak in even when you didn’t invite it. Don’t lose your cool, don’t loose control, and don’t allow the painbody to consume you. Recognize it and you will silence it.
