Chronic Pain and the Mind-Body Connection
When we are in pain, it’s often hard to focus on anything else. The throb of the knee or the ache of the back becomes the focal point of our day. It’s hard to concentrate on anything else because every time your body aches, you’re right back with your pain.
The inability to move away from pain can cause anxiety, depression, frustration, and other psychological difficulties. The experience in the mind and the experience in the body are highly correlated. There is a clear relationship between the two, and we’ll discuss the mind-body connection of chronic pain.
However, in some cases, it’s not known which came first. Although the mind and body are connected and although there is a correlation, it’s doesn’t always mean one caused the other. The relationship between chronic pain and psychological disorder is still being researched. Yet, sometimes, and this can be the case with chronic back pain, long held and unexpressed emotions can later express themselves as pain in the body. When symptoms of the body, such as pain, do not have a physical explanation, they are known as somatic symptoms. And Somatic Symptom Disorder is when an individual has such symptoms, pain in the body that might suggest a physical illness or injury, but those symptoms cannot be explained medically.
There is a very interesting book titled Healing Back Pain by Dr. John Samo. In it, he talks about the mind-body connection. He indicates that stress and repressed anger often manifest in physical conditions that cause pain. He wrote about his discovery after working with many people that there is little relationship between the severity of the presenting problem and the level of pain experienced. He points out in his book that there are individuals who can have the same presenting physical issue and who did not experience any pain. This indicates that the psychological can have a great impact on the experience of the physical condition.
Of course, there are cases where pain in the body is not due to any psychological experience. Having an injury, undergoing surgery, being in a car accident, etc. are experiences where the body maintained a physical experience that caused pain. Nonetheless, the mind can still have an impact on the severity of pain and one’s quality of life. Dr. Samo provides in his book coping mechanisms to use in order to minimize pain and to return to a regular level of functioning.
According to GoodTherapy.com, therapists who work with the chronic pain in their patients suggest that expressing repressed feelings and needs can bring healing of that pain. The pain is robbed of its power and the body no longer needs to hold the burden of what was long repressed. Therapists might also help their clients locate the origin of their physical pain by exploring their emotional wounds. They can play with the thoughts and emotions that might make that pain better or worse.
These are certainly examples of how there is a very strong mind-body connection. Although there is still plenty of research to do within the medical field, there is already plenty of evidence that a connection exists between psychological ailments we experience, such as stress and anger, and the pain we might have in the body.
By Dr. James Lin
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