Feel the Fear and the Pain and it Will Go Away

Here is a life lesson and revelation gained during my time getting a tattoo removed.

My African-American ex girlfriend convinced me to get my Confederate flag tattoo removed with some cutting remarks.  I figured that a Confederate flag tattoo was not inherently racist, as I believed it more a symbol of southern pride and rebellion against empirical governments, plus I had relatives who served in the Confederate Army, but eventually I changed my mind and decided to get it removed.  I knew it was the best thing to do when I landed in jail and had to strip naked in front of a few very large, very angry looking African-American men.  I made it out of jail unscathed, but had I stayed longer than a few days, I might not have been so fortunate.

I searched for a Houston tattoo removal place and decided upon a person to remove my tattoo.  Her name was Whitney.  I arrived at her clinic for a free consultation.  Whitney took a look at my tattoo and saw that the ink was embedded deep in my skin.  I opted for the extended treatment payment plan, which was a block payment regardless of how many treatments it took with the laser.  This was a good move on my part, because since I had not only the original tattoo but also had it redone and re-inked, it has taken quite a few treatments.  Most tattoos don't take this long as mine has.

The worst part of laser tattoo removal isn't the laser.  It's the needles that that are used to numb the skin with anesthetic that the laser will zap.  Whitney had little rubber squeeze-balls for patients that you could grab and clench to deal with the pain of the needles and the anesthetic going into the skin.  I would squeeze those things like my life depended upon it.

Then one day, I went to get treated, and I decided not to use the little rubber squeeze-balls.  I decided I was going to just deal with the pain of the needles and not tense up.  I was going to feel the pain fully, and not avoid it.  At first, the pain was intense.  "What am I doing?", I thought to myself.  Whitney could tell it was hurting as I was trembling a little, and she asked me if I was okay and if I wanted the squeeze-balls, but I refused them.  After about three more nasty hits with the needle, I focused my total concentration on the pain and the needle going into my skin.  It was weird.  It really hurt, but then all of a sudden, a release occurred.  The needle didn't really bother me once I accepted it and just let go.  I faced the pain completely and it no longer had power over me.

The same lesson can be applied to anything in life involving any fear or pain.  It really helps to totally face the fear and the pain, to move forward through it, and in so doing, to overcome it and release it.

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