Pain is not a thing in your body that can be taken out. It is 100% in your mind. So when people used to dismissively say “it’s all in your head,” the joke’s on them because it IS all your head. The whole world is in your head! Please don’t think this means I’m saying pain is not real. It is 100% real. We have to deal with what is going on in the mind. And we haven’t done a good job of that and sadly that’s why we have this opioid epidemic now in this country.

The History of Pain:
Starting in the time of ancient Egypt, pain was believed to be a demon that needed to removed. In Greece, they looked at the physical body and identified an imbalance of the humors as the cause of pain. In the 1500’s, they recognized the anatomical cause of pain. If they couldn’t find the cause, however, they attributed it to the mind, which was the realm of the church. In the 1800, they realized the brain had a role in pain, but more secondarily. So if the source of pain couldn’t be found in the body or the source didn’t match the degree of reported pain, they believed there were psychological issues. It wasn’t until the 1900’s, that we started to recognize the social and psychological factors in pain with Gate Control Theory. And this lead in to our modern framework of understanding pain: The Biopsychosocial Model. This takes into account all possible sources: physical, emotional, or social (family, society, culture, religion). So we’ve come full circle: if your culture or your religion has taught you to believe in demons and you think that’s causing your pain, then that IS what’s causing your pain and no one call tell you different.

There may or may not be a physical cause. There are plenty of people who are in pain and scans and images show NO damage. Likewise there are plenty of pain-free people who’s scans reveal arthritis or disc damage. There is something else going on. There is no much information out there about back surgeries and knee replacements that do nothing for pain. Likewise there are studies on ‘sham’ surgeries where the doctors do nothing but cut the patient open so they have a scar and this alleviates pain and symptoms.

Pain is an output, not an input. We do not have pain receptors. We have nociceptors. Nociceptors register changes that could be dangerous. They send the message to your brain that something is wrong. Your brain needs to get your attention so you do something about this. It sends you signal you can’t ignore so you’ll address the issue. Sadly, we instead take a pill to dull the pain and just keep doing the thing that causes us harm.

Pain is 100% subjective. Subjective means it can only be reported by you. There is no machine and no person who can assess and measure your pain.

Chronic pain is pain that persists for more than 3 months. Drugs do not work for chronic pain. So what does? Here’s a list: yoga, meditation, journaling, exercise, pain education, healthy eating, sleep, social interaction, laughing, massage, feelings of safety, imagery, goal setting, biofeedback, mindfulness.

This is simple but not easy. You will have to do some work.

Check out the books Your Body Speaks Your Mind and You Can Heal Your Life to see the underlying emotional and energetic causes of pain for specific areas of your body.

Your level of pain is directly related to your sense of safety in the world. This is where yoga (and other healing modalities come in). You need to create a sense of safety for your nervous system so you can heal (physically and emotionally). Look for yoga that is more meditative and restorative.

You’ve got to work out your issues and past trauma either on your own through journalling and reflecting (check out Byron Kathie’s Loving What Is) or get help from a life coach, counselor, or therapist.

Clean up your diet. There is a connection between your gut and pain. If you eat like crap, you are going to feel like crap emotionally and physically.

Get moving! Please do not curl up on the couch when your body hurts. Respect the boundaries of what you can and cannot do. Work with a qualified personal trainer or physical therapist for some guidance and direction.

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