The Connection Between Psychological And Physical Pain
When it’s in your head - it’s not just in your head…
The connection between the mind and body has been well-documented and well-studied. What happens to the body affects the mind and vice versa
However, many people still say ridiculous things like, “It’s all in your head” or “Give it time and you’ll get over it.”
What happens when you can’t just get over it, time passes, and your body begins to ache like you constantly have the flu or you start getting migraines out of nowhere, or random hives appear on your legs?
Psychological pain does affect your body. It often presents itself as chronic, unexplained physical pain.
Let’s have a look at the difference between Acute and Chronic pain:
Why does psychological pain affect me physically?
Your psychological pain was a result of some kind of trauma either physical, emotional, or chemical.
Your brain chemistry and neural activity change when it experiences trauma (Gasperi, et al.). A lot of that change happens to the vagus nerve.
The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body and it connects every part of the body to the brain. A lot of information travels along this neural highway every second or every day and has done so since you were born.
All of the good things that you’ve experienced have left their imprint. All of the hugs, the kind words, the wonderful tastes, and the enjoyable experiences.
But that is also true for all the bad things. All the spankings, the shouting, the anxiety of your teenage years, accidents, attacks, and any abuse you experienced.
These usually manifest in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There is a significant connection between PTSD and people with chronic pain. It’s been found that when the PTSD is treated effectively, the patient reports significantly reduced chronic pain (Lumley, et al.).
Your vagus nerve has documented every sensation over your lifetime.
If the sensation is significant or repetitive enough such as being in an emotionally abusive relationship or experiencing a miscarriage, it leaves a larger mark than other sensations.
This mark affects the vagus nerve and its ability to transfer messages around your body effectively. Just like a road with cracks and potholes, the heavier the vehicle driving along it, the worse the damage and the more ineffective the highway becomes.
It’s called nervous system dysregulation.
A dysregulated nervous system gets confused and makes mistakes when it comes to sensations.
What could be a light touch against your arm gets confused for razor blades flaying open your skin. You feel that burning pain like it’s real because, to your body, it is real (Simons, et al.).
Many people with psychological trauma in their past are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia as adults as an explanation for their unexplained physical chronic pain.
How could Neurotoned help?
Neurotoned provides you with education and exercises to help you understand your physical symptoms and heal your damaged vagus nerve without forcing you to relive your trauma.
There are many exercises that massage, manipulate, and move the vagus nerve to tone it and activate it to function in a healthier way.
Doing these exercises without guidance and education can be tricky which is why we have Dr Kim DiRe’, an expert trauma therapist, as our guide.
Is there hope for me?
Yes, there is. Chronic pain that is caused by psychological wounds to the vagus nerve can be healed.
The healing requires you to be dedicated and consistent to see results.
10 minutes a day is all you need to start healing your past trauma and freeing your body from its chronic pain.
Our Recommended Reading:
- Gasperi, M., Afari, N., Goldberg, J., Suri, P., & Panizzon, M. S. (2021). Pain and Trauma: The Role of Criterion A Trauma and Stressful Life Events in the Pain and PTSD Relationship. The journal of pain, 22(11), 1506–1517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2021.04.015
- Lumley, M. A., Yamin, J. B., Pester, B. D., Krohner, S., & Urbanik, C. P. (2022). Trauma matters: psychological interventions for comorbid psychosocial trauma and chronic pain. Pain, 163(4), 599–603. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002425
- Simons, L. E., Elman, I., & Borsook, D. (2014). Psychological processing in chronic pain: a neural systems approach. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, 39, 61–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.12.006
- WakeMed
Heal The Mind Body Connection With 10-Minute Vagus Nerve Toning Exercises
Discover the only at-home program that offers daily exercises for healing the Vagus nerve and nervous system after trauma, guided by world-renowned therapist Dr. Kim DiRe'
