Itching

[Gareth]

Great replies.

Ultimately it doesn't matter whether you scratch the itch or not. I'll tell you the way that I deal with an itch. First I look at the itch for a while, most often the itch just disappears, sometimes it doesn't, and I just scratch it.

[rara]

@ZenDoe Loving your first response...

Here's a cool story. One I meditated in some woods and felt some creature on my skin. One up my trouser leg feasted...I felt it digging in and suck my blood out. Then, one of its mates did the same on my face.

I sat...and embraced...it was just happening...then I felt nothing.

I came out of meditation about 20 minutes later and went to the bathroom. Lo and behold, not even a scratch.

One of two things happened...either my mind created the whole thing, or it did actually happen and my mind made my body heal.

Whatever happens, that itch is nothing compared to your mind

[DrCathWood]

@rara yuck!

Thanks for your comments everyone. Reading them I think the conclusion that I have come to is that I can focus my attention on the itch and it will gradually dissolve in awareness BUT I can also mindfully chose to scratch. Reacting to the sensation with consideration is the important thing, not just reacting to it. Does that make mindful sense?

[ZenDoe]

A word of caution: the itching, the pain, the whatever, doesn't necessarily "disappear" when we put our attention there. Mindfulness will not make our issues or our pain disappear. It's NOT about running from things, it's about paying attention to them. What happens when we pour our attention into something is that we are no longer in opposition to that thing (pain, itch, whatever). There's a difference, which is very, very important.

[JonW]

Well said, Zendoe. That's very true.
And, of course, it's important not to strive to make anything disappear.
Sakyong Mipham has a good take on the difficulties that people sometimes encounter when they start meditating:
"When we first begin to meditate we might say, 'This is terrible. It has made things worse for me.' But nothing got worse. We just stopped and noticed our mind. That is all. It is like getting out of the car on the highway and realising how fast the traffic is moving."

[ZenDoe]

It is like getting out of the car on the highway and realising how fast the traffic is moving."

Yes! Great quote, Jon!

[PeterFreeMindfulness]

I think this is a really interesting topic, and how we relate to something as simple (and often distracting/unpleasant) as an itch can translate into how we relate to so many other things in life. I remember hearing a story about someone who was using their experience of mindfulness to help them to live with having terminal cancer, they said that they had learnt so much about relating to suffering from every itch they hadn't scratched and every pain that they had sat with.

I agree with a lot of what's been said so far - I like the idea of sitting with an itch and being curious about what is actually going on in that moment... what are the sensations which I'm labelling as an itch, what do they really feel like, can I notice the urge to scratch and anything connected to it (perhaps beliefs about what might be causing it, or whether the itch will go away or persist and get worse). I also like this as an opportunity to explore skillful action - if I choose to respond, can I make this a conscious choice and be mindful of what I am doing? If we think about (or experience) the process of scratching an itch, can we do so in a way that is less 'scratching' and more soothing?

Maintaining curiosity through this process can reveal further insights - for example, does choosing to sooth an itch result in it going away completely or does it come back? Does attempting to remove an itch make you more or less itchy? Again, reflecting on how we either react or respond to something and the consequences is relevant to anything that comes up in experience, and being kind to ourselves throughout this process.

[larorra]

Very interesting reading! So any twitches, itches, aches and pains to be acknowledged not ignored I think I got that. Makes me think too about emotions, tonight I have very negative thoughts and feel quite sad due to an upset with a family member so instead of trying to put it out of my mind deal with it? Just don't feel like being mindful tonight...

[larorra]

RI awoke in the early hours and have had some mindful time and although the issue is not solved I feel better for having faced up to my thoughts and observing them mindfully.

[JonW]

Good to hear you're feeling better, Jackie.
I sometimes think that, when we start practicing mindfulness, it's not something we can easily switch off. In a good way, I mean. When a problem presents itself, perhaps we tend to be mindful about it (sooner or later) as something tells us that the mindful way is the easiest and most positive way. The only way that makes sense.
To me, trying to be non-mindful now is a bit like trying to unfry an egg.