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I have a few questions of my own regarding pain.  I mentioned before that I had a revelation during a meditation retreat when I was finally able to surpass (relatively) painful sensations.  It was very liberating.  I was already four weeks into the retreat, and my inflexible hips made it so difficult to comfortably sit in a lotus position for long periods.  First, my legs would fall asleep, then sharp stabs would escalate throughout my right knee.  My goal at that time was to sit as long as possible without moving.  That means, not scratching any itches, not adjusting my legs, and not peeking to see how much time was left (we were expected to sit for a minimum of 1 hour per sitting). 

When I was able to fully concentrate on the sharp pains in my knee and hip, I noticed the pain was a series of different sensations.  It first began as intense heat, then a series of sharp pricks, to throbs that resonated, etc.  There were other sensations mixed in, and the feelings were always, rapidly changing.  When I was able to sustain that focus without a stray thought or wandering of the mind, the mind or should I call it my I-function became disassociated from the pain.  The mind became this outsider to what was happening in my leg and was able to witness the pain as if it were happening in someone else.  (Does this sound crazy?!)  I could identify the sensations as they were, and that prevented my mind from identifying those feelings as discomfort or pain.  Sharp pricks and heat suddenly were neutral to my mind.  It did not felt good or bad- it was just what it was. 

Similar to how the anatomy of the eye tricks the brain into seeing or not seeing actual images, I wonder how one can biologically explain how the mind clouds the nervous system and brain’s signals, and what did my brain activity look like during that meditation session when I sustained concentration long enough to not feel any pain or discomfort?