Is Pain Mental or Physical?
Mystery in an Enigma
Pain is weird. Pain is experienced in the brain but is located in the body. Pain is one of the mysterious points where our mental thoughts link to our material body---a point where our consciousness connects to the physical world.
Pain Sources
Pain comes from a few primary sources.
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The first is injury. When we damage our bodies in some way, we experience pain.
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The second source of pain is disease and organ problems, such as when we have gut pain or pain from cancer or other diseases.
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The third source of pain is our joints and muscles, which can become painful from overuse, which is a form of injury, or pain from arthritic type disease.
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The final source of pain is a complete mystery. More on this later.
Pain Locations
Pain can come from our skin and muscles, as ordinary pain from cuts, scrapes and overuse of muscles. Other pain comes from our organs. This type of pain is harder to pinpoint as it can be spread out over a whole region, even in a completely different area than the source of the pain. Pain can also come from damage to the pain reporting system. The nerves that send pain signals can themselves get damaged. This nerve damage is experienced as pain. It is as if the system short-circuits and sends a pain signal, even though nothing turned on the switch.
Personal Pain
Often pain appears with no real explanation. This kind of pain is very difficult to manage as the problem is unknown. Pain is not a black and white condition. It is subjective. Different people with the same injury experience the pain differently. Sometimes this is called a higher pain tolerance. But this is not the best way to think of it. Not everyone experiences the same pain with the same injury. It is not so much that the pain is tolerated as the pain is different.
Pain Cranks It Up
Pain changes the nervous system---especially chronic, daily pain. This kind of pain can cause the nervous system to become more sensitive to pain. Contrary to what we might think, we don’t get used to pain. Generally, the more daily pain we have, the more sensitive we become to pain. Pain is not something our minds get used to. In a way, when we have pain all the time, it is as if our bodies are saying, ‘You are ignoring the pain, so I better turn up the volume so you can’t ignore it.‘
Painful State of Mind
Pain is in your head---or, at least, your mind. We only feel pain because we are conscious. Plants can be damaged, but they feel no pain. Higher animals do experience pain when they get injured. They have a mind. The mental aspect of pain, the consciousness, is what makes pain come alive. It can take on a life in the mind apart from its source in the body. This is why our mental state impacts our pain. When we are depressed, frustrated, or bitter, pain tends to be experienced in a stronger way than when we are joyful, confident, and loving.
Stress Pain
Pure mental pain exists but is rare. A simple, ordinary headache is sometimes due purely to stress. But most pain has at least its beginning in our body. Something went wrong physically to trigger pain.
Inherited Pain
Pain, especially chronic pain, has a genetic component. Some people have genes that make them more likely to experience chronic pain. Researchers studied the British DNA files containing DNA for over 300,000 people. The genes for chronic pain are related to the genes that control nervous system development and cell growth. These genes suggest that the changes to your brain that these genes control lead to a higher risk of having chronic pain. These same genes are also linked to depression, showing there is a link between pain and depression.
One-Time Pain
This is different from one-time pain from an injury. With that type of pain, our body eventually learns it will go away. Chronic pain is not just pain that lasts longer. It is a different thing altogether. Once started, it can exist even if the underlying physical cause has faded. In a way, it is like pain in an amputated limb. This phantom pain for a limb we don’t have is often like chronic pain that outlives its cause.
Sticky Pain
Chronic pain often gets unhooked from the problem that started it. Sometimes we have daily pain from an injury or disease that lasts for a long time. This is the beginning of chronic pain. But then chronic pain seems to get lodged in the nervous system. It sticks in the system like a computer virus, messing up the nervous system, even if the underlying cause has been resolved.
Real Pain
Regardless of the source, all the different types of pain are real. They all hurt.
Address Pain
Some pain is unavoidable. To keep your pain to a minimum, eat well and get plenty of activity. Both physical activity and mental activity help with pain. Pain is complex. Build some habits that help you keep a positive attitude. A habit of gratitude can make a big difference. If you need to, make changes in your life so that stress and frustrations don’t become a source of pain. Don’t let relationships breed bitterness --- act to make improvements --- now. Social activities are also important as we are made as social creatures. We need people contact. Isolation damages health and increases pain.
Push Away Pain
Finally, every once in a while, test your pain. If your arm has been sore for a while and the doctor says it is fully healed, try some activities that are painful to remind your body that the limb has healed, and the pain can stop. Often, pain sticks around past its expiration date. Often, as we get older, we have pain that won’t go away. In that case, use some pain management products. A topical roll-on pain reliever can help you get you active again. Relieving pain might not seem important for health, but it is. Use whatever healthy pain-relieving tools you can find.
