Scratch itches during meditation?

[Mudlotus]

Dear fellow practitioners,

Sparing you my story of anguish which brought me here (anxiety, insomnia, intrusive thoughts and dread), I thought I'd begin with a simple question as my first post.

I started meditating at the very beginning of this year. I like it.
But during meditation I always get many itches. I don't have any recognizable skin issues. I suspect it's part of my restlessness and anxious mind.

Do you find it beneficial to not scratch and 'interrupt' your bodyscan / meditation?
I'm not sure what to do sometimes, as JKZ suggests I resist my tendency to move. But often the itch is very powerful and diverts my attention from the practice.

Kind regards and thank you in advance.

[Michael_79]

Hi Mudlotus,

I take now (almost) pleasure at observing these itches that often come during my meditation sessions. It is a very tough thing not to succumb to the relief of a good scratch! Itches are so innocuous but brings so much displeasure that it is a very good opportunity to learn how to handle physical displeasure. Do not torture yourself neither, when it is too much, it is too much.

[Gareth]

This question makes me smile. Just because it's the kind of question I had when I was setting out on my practice and found nowhere to get an answer. Your question was the whole reason that I set up this forum.

In truth, it doesn't matter whether you scratch the itch or not. Like Michael, I find it fascinating to watch these itchy sensations when they come along, and investigate them fully. They are funny things actually. Sometimes they just disappear from wherever they came. Other times, they just seem to get more intense until they simply have to be scratched. Whenever you do scratch, just do it mindfully.

[paulpsych]

I agree with Gareth. I treat the need to itch as part of the meditation and as Jon KZ would say "turn towards it". Sensations, thoughts, feelings. Also at what point do you decide to "scratch"? Is it a conscious choice or an automatic response?

[Janknitz]

LOL, I've been struggling with this too. At first I was very careful to just observe, not scratch, and I found that the itch mostly peaks and then ebbs from the consciousness, pretty quickly, actually.

But lately I've had no patience with itches, and I go ahead and scratch them, and then marvel at how disruptive they are--it takes quite a while to resume the focus I had "pre-scratch"--I think it's more time than if I didn't scratch.

In early March I'm beginning an 8 week MBSR program and I'm both looking forward to it and terrified. One of the things I fear most is being told I am not "supposed to" scratch an itch, and for that 8 week period--at least, I will feel like I should not. It's one of those "future fears" that are not reality--you know, the kind that mindfulness is supposed to help you recognize and learn from. So I do recognize it may be a baseless fear, but it still stresses me out--which is why I want to scratch NOW. It's funny when I "say it out loud" like this.

[watson2182]

i think maybe because of too much meditation cause an itchy sometimes.

when ever i feel something itchy i just scratch it and back to meditation again. i don't let itchy thing interrupt my meditation.

[Matt Y]

But often the itch is very powerful and diverts my attention from the practice.

The itch is the practice.

Following meditation instructions is not nearly so important as investigating your own experience. If an itch comes up, notice what it comes with - thoughts, resistance, irritation, annoyance, confusion, the desire to scratch. An itch can be fertile territory.

[piedwagtail91]

i'm with matt on this, about making it part of the practice.
when you notice the itch take your awareness to it and go in close, if the itch fades and goes then maybe it was just your mind getting bored and playing it's own agenda.
if the itch stays when you hold it in awareness then make a mindful and considered response to that itch and scratch it, then be with the new sensations before going back to the practice.
doing it this way helps you begin to observe and respond rather than believe your mind and react without observing or gathering facts

doing things this way can, if you chose to, be used for sensations of discomfort during a long sitting practice.

[FeeHutch]

This used to bug me too. Then I started considering the itch, sometimes it went away and sometimes I made conscious choice to scratch the itch. More often than not the itch goes away once I acknowledge it

[Mudlotus]

Thanks everyone!
I agree with what everyone says here.

I have noticed you can make something like an itch part of the practice.
A compelling idea, as I begin to realize now that in time, I may actually make everything my practice. Of course I already knew this 'with the mind', but now I actually know it and see it as a reality! This is why I used to see meditation as futile, as I thought it would just be an hour-long experience, of no value in real life. What a grand mistake.

Back to the itch, I've realized several funny things:

- Observing and letting an itch be, often results in it's disappearing;
- ....and reappearing on another body part, or several inches higher/lower. After that the itches seem to show up less and less.
- During my very first meditations I used to scratch very slowly, keeping my focus on the sensation as well as the 'body scanning'. Probably thanks to my actual 'beginners mind'.
-Now, as I'm used to scratching it 'unmindfully', I get out of the feeling of meditating, which will create fearful thoughts about 'messing up my session' (which generates itches all over the place! Scratch 1 mindlessly, get 3 in return!)