Oftentimes, we run into people who have been living with pain for an extended amount of time or, we ourselves, might be this person.  Chronic pain is very complex as it involves many facets of our whole body mentally, emotionally and physically.  You might understand the physical correlation with chronic pain, but you may be wondering how does a “bum knee” or “bad back” have anything to do with the mind or someone’s emotions.  Let’s look deeper into this idea by looking at some common things you might hear people say… “When I tried to do _____, my back went out”. When I found out about _____, it hit me in the gut”.  ”My knee gave out when I _____”.  ”My heart stopped when  _____ happened”.  These are just a few examples of the many ways physical ailments really are linked to mental and emotional components or stressors.

I have worked with hundreds of people over the years, who have gone from doctor to doctor, taken countless medications for pain and inflammation, undergone injections, surgical procedures and more, only to discover that they still suffer from pain.  Why is that?  If the problem was purely mechanical, the surgery would have corrected the problem, right?  Wrong, because nothing is purely mechanical inside this incredible thing we call the human body.  Our bodies are an intricate web of anatomical and physiological forces working together under the direction of a brain that communicates to and from every cell in our bodies.  This communication is profoundly altered and affected by the types of things we eat, drink, breathe, do, feel and think about.

As we go back to the common sayings noted above, let’s fill in the blank with, “My back went out when I bent over to pick up the dirty clothes on the floor”.  Was it the clothing that was too heavy?  Or, maybe was it that we had recently had an argument with our spouse and had not forgiven them; had been feeling unappreciated or possibly unfulfilled at work lately; or had been stressing about having more bills than income or had not been eating healthy and exercising thus finding our self out of optimum health? In this one example, we see that an injury can be far more complex merely because our bodies are such an amazing combonation of mental, physical and emotional systems.

Back pain affects 80% of people as some point in their lives.  Thinking about the example above, does it now make sense how much of this may not be purely anatomical or mechanical?  We cannot see our own backs without a mirror and therefore, the back is the perfect place where we can hide many unresolved issues and not address them for months or sometimes years.  Things can be locked out of sight there deep within our tissues.  These are the same tissues that cross into the pelvis where our lower body attaches affecting how we walk; that provide support to our internal organs where vital functions such as digestion, cleansing, breathing, child birth and blood flow occur; and that also travel up the spine to support the head and neck thus creating a level platform for our vision and balance.  This list could go on and on, but I think you see the point.

So what can we do to decrease the grip of chronic pain on our bodies?

1.  Proper strengthening and stretching exercises to build up the physical aspect of this intricate equation.

2.  Diaphragmatic breathing and relaxation techniques to increase oxygen intake to support healing and decrease the body’s stress response.

3.  Prayer and meditation to let go of past hurts and come to a place of forgiveness, whether that’s for yourself or someone else.

4.  Mental imagery techniques and affirmations to promote inner peace, strength and total wellness.

5. Eat organic foods closest to their natural state as possible, avoiding processed foods loaded with chemicals and preservatives.

When you stop and think about it, physical pain is really the only type of pain completely accepted by our society. Millions of dollars are spent daily on advertisements to remind us of our pain. Mental and emotional pain are frequently considered weaknesses and not included in this equation. But the reality is, people often wrap their mental and emotional pain inside their physical pain.  This becomes a vicious, out of control cycle when we mix medications and all those side-effects in without looking at the body as a whole and treating it as a priceless creation.

Next time you or someone you know is dealing with chronic pain, look deep inside, ask the tough questions and uncover what it’s really saying about the mind, body and spirit.

Share your comments or if you would like to learn more, you can contact me on facebook.

Traci Vincent