A group of 34 children suffering from unidentified abdominal Pain -- such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome -- were treated with standard medical care, but 19 of them were also taught guided imagery therapy, a form of self-hypnosis using audio recordings.

"For example, in one session they were told to imagine a special shiny object melting in their hand. They then placed the hand on their abdomen, spreading the warmth and light from the hand into the belly in order to create a protective barrier that prevents anything from irritating the belly."

The children taught guided imagery were almost three times more likely to have their pain improve than those who only had medical treatment.

This is something that I can very much identify with, considering I suffered with unidentified stomach pain since I was a child. My mother has Chrone's disease, so for years doctors searched my insides through colonoscopies and an upper GI series, finding nothing. But the pain was real. It was debilitating.

With no medical evidence backing me up, I developed my own coping method when I was around 12 years old: I would lay down flat on my back, and control the pain with my breathing until I went to sleep. Through these exercises, I practiced moving the pain up and down throughout my body by tuning into it. It's the only way I could manage my pain, and it required no drugs or money.

This -- plus the meditation techniques I learned in yoga -- are the reasons I could get through natural labor. So speaking from experience, while the pain is real, the intensity can be controlled with your mind. It just takes practice.