In a YouTube Video 12 Types of Chronic Pain Directly Related To Emotional States put out by the Health Science Journal for Psychology Today, Dr. Susan Babe, a psychologist who specialized in trauma-induced depression stated, “Studies have shown that Chronic Pain might not only be caused by physical injury but also by stress and emotional issues.”
Physical pain functions to warn the person that there is still emotional work to be done. More service providers and Chronic Pain sufferers need to appreciate and apply the wisdom presented by Dr. Babel.
I admit, both for myself in suffering with Chronic Pain, and in working for decades in the clinical setting with Chronic Pain clients it is not always easy to identify the emotional themes attached to Chronic Pain. It can be even more challenging to process, release and re-pattern pain-related emotions, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes. Yet, the wonderful freedom at the end of this journey of discovery and resolution is well worth the investment of time and energy.
The YouTube Video lists the following as areas of pain that can be associated with emotional states
- Headaches And Migraines
- Neck Pain
- Shoulder Pain
- Upper Back Pain
- Lower Back Pain
- Elbow Pain
- Pain In The Hands
- Pain In The Hips
- Knee Pain
- Calf Pain
- Ankle Pain
- Foot Pain
The video goes on to explore some factors around causes of pain in various parts of the body and some helpful responses to these areas of pain.
- Life stress is identified as contributing to headaches and migraines, with the suggestion to address the stress to deal with these pains. Don’t just ignore it.
- Interestingly, neck pain is associated with the need to forgive others or even oneself.
- Quite naturally, shoulder pain is tagged with the weight of heavy emotional issues. It was suggested that one should resolve these concerns and even share them with others as is appropriate.
- The recommendation for relieving upper back pain is to address the need for emotional support in being appreciated and receiving signs of affection.
- Dealing with concerns of financial worries and money management are proposed to deal with lower back pain.
- To deal with arm and elbow pain, explore where resistance and lack of flexibility are present in one’s personality or life.
- Pain in the hands is mentioned in regards to the need to reach out and have a connection with others.
- Problems and fears with moving and making decisions about change are presented in relationship to hip pain.
- People thinking too highly of themselves and needing to be more generous with others is submitted as affecting knee pain.
- The need to address big life stressors associated with tension, stress or even jealousy are identified in relationship to pain in the calves.
- The lack of pleasure in life is presented as contributing to ankle pain, along with the solution of treating oneself or even spicing up your love life.
- Dealing with difficult challenges of depression is suggested for alleviating the emotional contribution to foot pain.
Mind Based Chronic Pain
I wholeheartedly agree with this video’s proposal that emotions, beliefs and attitudes can contribute to initially embedding and then driving Chronic Pain. I refer to this form of Chronic Pain as “Mind Based Chronic Pain” to distinguish it as being distinctly different from long-term disease or structure based pain, like cancer pain or arthritis pain.
Though the list above, compiled by Dr. Babel, is accurate for some, the exact details of the emotions and life concerns of any area of pain is much broader and will vary from individual to individual. I find that listening to specific metaphors, symbols and similes used in adjectives and a person’s language will often reveal the way that their specific pain is related to emotions, thoughts, beliefs or attitudes. A person may speak of a family member or a situation at work as a “pain in the neck” and these concerns may be manifested as neck pain. Interesting results and insights can also come from asking a person, “If the pain in your neck could speak what would it say?” You might even ask a Chronic Pain sufferer, “If you could talk to your pain, what would you like to say?”
For many, Chronic Pain floats about the body, showing up in one place and then another. In these cases, the mind based material entrenched with Chronic Pain, may be more general, “I can’t deal with this pain”; “I am a failure due to the limitations of pain”; “Nothing works out”; “Betrayed by my pain” or … fill in the blank. Floating or generalized pain can be related to anger, fear, shame, helplessness, loss or other emotions. Most often, the negative forces in the suffering component of Chronic Pain is trapped in one form or another of “regretting the past” or “dreading the future”.
Dr. Babel suggests a need to deal with emotional concerns behind specific areas of pain. The same necessity exists with efforts to identify the forces behind generalized or ever-changing floating Chronic Pain. Making this connection is the start of the path to make all the difference in the world for the Chronic Pain Sufferer. Whether Chronic Pain is present in a specific area, comes out with changing expressions or is more global in nature, the mind-based emotions, thoughts, beliefs or attitudes can be worked through and resolved. Knowing this can provide hope, goals and activities to work with.
Resolution of Mind- Based Chronic Pain
In a general way, I see that resolution of Mind- Based Chronic Pain comes through:
- Identifying,
- Processing,
- Releasing and
- Re-patterning
the emotions, messages, and beliefs that drive Chronic Pain.
Likely only 10% of the forces that initially embedded Chronic Pain and then continue to go on driving it are in the conscious mind. The other 90% of the core forces driving Chronic Pain are in the other-than-conscious mind. This 90% is readily available when the “stories” incorporating pain related metaphors, symbols and “personal myths” are listened to.
In my own work in healing decades of my own PTSD related Chronic Pain, I found mind-body tools and expressive approaches combined with some significant shifts in mindset helped me greatly. I reached a place where freedom and vitality came through by relationship with my body. I was no longer living with severe Chronic Pain shifting about my body in various locations for weeks or months of time.
Over a 40-year period of training, research and working in a psychotherapy and neuro- rehab clinical setting I gained in the ever-increasing appreciation of the degree to which emotions, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes can find an expression in Chronic Pain. I also developed a growing appreciation of the ability of people to take charge and effectively address their mind-based Chronic Pain.
I have seen that Chronic Pain sufferers can be highly in control of effectively resolving the internal emotion and thought patterns that contribute to the annoying and often limiting persistence of Chronic Pain. What is needed is a little guidance and an easy to learn and employ system that provides the means to Identify, Process, Release and Re-pattern the mind based “stories” driving and perpetuating their Chronic Pain. There is amazing satisfaction that comes from seeing people completely transforming their lives after saying good-bye to the suffering of Chronic Pain.
Clients and colleagues encouraged me, and in some cases demanded of me, to make my Mind Based Pain Re-patterning (MBPR) System more readily available to a larger audience. Though I was approaching retirement age, I did run 5 full 42.2 km marathons in 12 weeks to celebrate turning 65-years-old, and the practicality of extending and expanding a long career was worthy of being considered.
So now, I am on to another passionate phase of my personal and professional life with the desire to inform Chronic Pain sufferers and the clinicians who treat them with practical and easy to implement tools and strategies for resolving Mind Based Chronic Pain.
Mind Based Pain Repatterning (MBPR) System
It is remarkable how with training in MBPR (Mind Based Pain Repatterning) System Protocols MBPR (Mind Based Pain Repatterning) System Protocols, Chronic Pain sufferers are able to take charge and achieve lasting results at reducing and even eliminating years of Chronic Pain. With the use of MBPR Protocol Writing, the forces behind Chronic Pain can be identified and extinguished. When the power of these forces are quieted and rewritten in new, positive, nurturing and supportive stories, the suffering of Chronic Pain may also be extinguished.
Paul Tobey, a Chronic Pain sufferer for a full decade, limped back and forth across a stage when he was doing business presentations. He had not been able to attend the gym for seven years.
He was introduced to MBPR Protocol Writing to help him with identifying, processing and releasing the other-than-conscious mind component of his Chronic Pain. For 20 minutes a day he consistently stuck with a schedule of writing down and throwing out all of the negatives in his life and surrounding his ongoing persistent pain. To help with next stage of repatterning, he wrote positive and reframing messages in a notebook that he kept. After faithfully following these MBPR activities, Paul’s Chronic Pain completely vanished. You can see his testimonial in this YouTube Video:
MBPR System Protocol Writing
One month following this successful MBPR System regimen, Paul who was previously debilitated, walked unaided on a thousand km trek across Spain. His “WHY” of walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage with his son after his son’s high school graduation provided inspiration to meet the challenges of resolving Chronic Pain.. Please rework this “Why”
Later that summer I received wonderful expressions of gratitude for Paul’s remarkable changes was from his wife Nancy. Following Paul’s vibrant and pain-free lengthy Camino Pilgrimage, he and Nancy went on to tour a number of European cities and restaurants.
Two years later Paul was still reporting to be pain free. It is remarkable that a system that did not employ medications or physical interventions was able to bring pain relief and total eradication of years of Chronic Pain.
Have You Suffered Far Too Long?
This FREE ONE-HOUR VIDEO, “Reduce and Even Eliminate Chronic Pain: With the Mind-Based Pain Repatterning System“, will guide you into an effective approach that puts you in control of resolving your mind-based chronic pain at a core level. You deserve to move past just “managing” persistent pain and move into celebrating a life of freedom and vitality:
MBPR System provides practical easy to learn tools and strategies to reach the root of Chronic Pain, so you can eliminate core forces that drive Chronic Pain.
You can learn more about addressing the mind based component of Chronic Pain by watching the one-hour video “Reduce and Even Eliminate Chronic Pain: With the MBPR System (Mind-Based Pain Repatterning) http://painfree.chronicpaincenter.com/.
