Emotional Pain and Physical Pain: Are they Connected?

Pain can be a natural part of the human experience and can sometimes even be a good thing. Chronic pain, however, is quite different. Living with chronic pain often means experiencing pain more often than not which can easily leave you feeling overwhelmed and discouraged. It can be difficult living the life you want with chronic pain. While you are not alone you may feel as if you are, counseling can help.

While pain is often rooted in a physical cause, it is sometimes also related to our emotions. Even though we know this, it can be offensive for this to be the only solution offered up by professionals. Chronic pain is real, and it is often caused by more than just physical reasons. Our physical health and emotional health are intertwined, and it is difficult for one to improve without the other.

Perception of Pain

Like all sensations, pain is processed in the brain. Specifically, there are two common areas, anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula, that become activated when we experience both physical and emotional pain. Human bodies have a single neural system to detect, identify and feel pain, whether it is physical or emotional.

What does this mean? This makes it possible for you to feel physical pain even when your doctor could not find a physical trigger. For all beings, emotional pain and physical pain are connected. Why try to treat one without the other?

Can Emotional Health Conditions Cause Physical Ailments?

Conditions such as depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD etc. all have physical symptoms as well. For those with depression they will often report fatigue, muscle pain and weakness. Anxiety often impacts heart rate, respiratory rate and your digestive system. The same can be said for PTSD and even ADHD.

Psychosomatic Disorder and Somatoform Disorders can both leave you experiencing pain and impact your day-to-day life. The pain experienced is real and deserves real treatment. Therapy can help.

Treating the Whole Person to Treat Pain

With physical pain and emotions being intimately connected in your brain, it is easy to understand how negative feelings can drive pain in your body or how physical ailment can impact how you feel emotionally. On a positive note, the knowledge that these two are connected provides an avenue for the treatment of pain and the healing of the emotions.

If you are suffering from physical pain, emotional pain, or both: and you want a way out of it, you are not alone. There is no need to stay stuck; contracted therapists with Carolina Counseling Services can help you work through your pain and come out stronger on the other side. Call today to schedule your first appointment.

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