Your Chronic Pain is in Your Head — and Your Body: Understanding Pain Through the Nervous System

Zinnia photo by Melanie Sadeghpour

Listen…

For all my talk about emotions causing your symptoms, I also believe with all my heart that your symptoms are also in your body.

So Here’s My Chronic Pain Spiel

(And this applies to POTS and Vertigo and GI and bladder problems)

You have sensors all over your body, just like a car. The sensors detect all kinds of things like light touch, deep touch, temperature, pressure, chemical changes (acidity), blood flow changes, stress etc.

Those sensors send messages to your brain all day about how things are going around here and your brain takes that information and combines it with everything it knows to give you a sensation.

Let’s Say It’s Your Gut

Like chronic pain in your second nervous system

Let’s say the pressure sensors from your nervous system in your gut are telling your brain that there is increased pressure. This could be from gas or stool, but your brain then takes the information that there is increased pressure and combines it with how anxious this feeling makes you feel, how long this has been going on, the weird thing your neighbor said and the unhelpful thing your doctor said to give you a sensation.

It also knows if generally you are worried about other things.

So, You Guessed It

If you have pressure in your gut and you’re very anxious about it because of how long it’s been going on AND you’re kind of a nervous, anxious, worried, stressed perfectionist type AND you keep trying medications that don’t help, chances are good your brain will give you a much more uncomfortable symptom than it might have otherwise. This is chronic pain. This is a sensitized nervous system.

Because it wants to help you. It wants you to take care of the issue. Not because your body hates you, because it loves you.

Now Let’s Imagine Your Brain is the CEO

Now let’s imagine your brain is the CEO of the “Libby,” (or your name) corporation.

The left knee department is fine. It gets its work done, everyone shows up on time, profits are up and things are flowing nicely, so the CEO doesn’t check in with the knee department that often.

But in the above example, the gut department IS TRYING THE CEO’s PATIENCE. People call in all the time, they blame each other, it’s disorganized and it is bleeding money. The CEO has to check in with this department ALL the time or it will keep screwing up.

Instead of checking on it once a day like it does the knee department, it checks on the gut department every 5 minutes. So if there is a minor issue in the knee department, the CEO doesn’t even know about it. Even the minor issues in the gut department are a BIG deal.

Now the CEO’s Focus Spreads

So now we have a gut that is sensitized by its environment AND your emotional state AND the CEO is checking in on it all the time.

Before long, it isn’t just the gut your CEO is checking in on, but also the bladder, and maybe the low back because they’re so close to the gut, they have to be involved too. And now your symptoms feel like they’re spreading and getting worse.

This Story is the Same Whether It’s:

• GI symptoms

• neck pain

• vertigo

Your symptoms are physical AND emotional.

What Actually Helps

• As you downtrain your nervous system through emotional regulation, breathing exercises and/or mindfulness.

• As you change your mindset about your symptoms.

• As you teach your CEO that things are safe around here.

• As you take care of your physical body with the exercise you need and nourishing food in just the right amounts.

• As we treat the muscles and joints.

Your symptoms WILL diminish.

But Be Honest With Yourself

But if you hold onto one thing as the cure. If you keep searching for the magic bullet. If you aren’t willing to do the work (emotional, physical, spiritual). You will continue to suffer.

I Promise to Walk Through All of This With You

To look for the emotional roots, teach you to downtrain your nervous system and find your inner motivation to do the things you need to do.

I promise to help you with the physical symptoms, by teaching you how to hold your body differently, to allow the muscle to let go. By using my own hands to massage or mobilize your joints.

I promise you that if you are willing, you will find significant relief, but we have to begin.

Libby