Tension headaches, any suggestions?

[ButterflyWoman]

What I realized was that the ego is the thing that enables us to function in this reality, and for a time, I was considerably 'dys-functional'.

Yes, exactly. At the time, I don't think I really understood the significance of the ego, had never really given it much thought. But I learned that it wasn't the "true me" (couldn't be; it was shattered and I was still there) and I learned that you MUST have a functional ego or you won't survive the material plane.

Happily, my ego was slowly rebuilt, and I'm much more stable now. Quite functional, except for odd lingering bits that didn't quite get worked on, but I'm pretty good at picking them up and throwing them out. The ego, unfortunately, is always corrupt, no matter how careful you are. It's a bit like the Windows registry system, now that I think of it...

Someday, I'd like to write a book on the real enlightenment experience, rather than the idealized one, and I think I'd call it 'death without dying', rather than enlightenment. Yes, it definitely is enlightening, in that you understand yourself and reality in a completely different way than you did before, but it is a painful process.

Yes, the art of dying to your self. Scary business. Very, very rewarding, ulitmately, but quite frightening.

For what it's worth, the Apostle Paul wrote at some length about dying to your self, that the "outer man" dies while the "inner man" thrives and grows. Very, very similar concepts (although most modern dogmatic organised Christianity doesn't know much about this, of course).

Do the plants, trees, and insects experience pain when they go through their transformations, I wonder?

That's an interesting question. I've wondered the same thing. I'm quite fascinated with caterpillars of all sorts and I've wondered if it's painful to turn into a butterfly (or moth).

[Pilar]

I thought that too (caterpillar --> moth). What an transformation - one minute you are in the dark, still, warm, wrapped tightly by the edges of all you've ever known as your reality, and then you push out into a massive expanse filled with things you've never seen and you go forward into it.

Sounds a bit like our birth process!

[ButterflyWoman]

Reviving and old thread, I want to step in and recommend this:

http://www.halorejuvenator.com/

It's basically just a circular band with weight evenly distributed around the top. You wear it, flex your neck a bit, and go about your business (you can do exercises with it, too, to strengthen your neck, which is supposed to help with the headaches).

I've had mine for about two weeks now and it's pretty cool. When I first started using it, my neck would crack and pop when I turned my head or rolled my neck (just like that breakfast cereal ), and that still happens a bit, but there's been a lot of improvement in my neck and head in just a couple of weeks. Usually, putting on the headband when I first feel a headache coming on will nip it right in the bud. I've noticed a definite decrease in pain and in the frequency of pain related to headache since I've been using this.

I got good results with chronic shoulder pain by using a simple set of hand weights a couple times a day (just stretching and a bit of light lifting, nothing major), so it makes sense that I'm getting results from weight exercises for my neck and head.

A note for people outside the U.S.: I had to get a friend in the States to buy one of these and send it to me. None of the outlets I found for it would ship overseas. The actual manufacturer never even bothered to reply when I asked if overseas shipping was a possibility. So it could be tricky to get one. I will say that I believe it's worth it, though, if you suffer from tension headaches or neck pain. I'm definitely sold on this very simple but extremely effective device.