I just finished this really interesting book about root cause of physical pain. I actually heard Howard Stern talking about this book as he has/had back pain. Yes, I do, from time to time, listen to Howard Stern. I enjoy his interviews. It’s like reading People magazine or watching Dancing with the Stars or those Housewives shows. It’s a break from the every day intensity of the news and what’s going on in the world.
The book is “The Mindbody Prescription, Healing the body, healing the pain, by John E Sarno, MD.
Ok. This may sound a bit crazy to you but he proposes that nearly all physical pain is due to unconscious anger. He says the brain tries to divert your attention from rage in the unconscious by creating pain in the body. The pain is caused by a lack of blood flow to the pain area. And get this, even if a CT, MRI or X-ray shows a structural misalignment or malformation, they are not a cause of your pain. Crazy, no?
[tweetthis]The brain tries to divert your attention from rage in the unconscious by creating pain in the body. [/tweetthis]
He sites many cases of pain that he has been able to resolve using his technique, but here is what got my attention, studies have shown high numbers of individuals with structural issues who have absolutely no pain whatsoever. So it would make sense that if you have a structural issue, you would have pain. And that’s not the case. People have structural issues and no pain and people have no structural issues with lots of pain.
Dr. Sarno believes that there is a certain type of person who tends toward unconscious rage that leads to physical pain. If you are a perfectionist, easily angered, highly motivated, somewhat compulsive and impatient with other people. You can also be happy and easy going type, but still have unconscious anger.
It’s not that the physical symptoms are a substitute for bad feelings, it’s more that they are present to keep your attention focused on your body to prevent the dangerous feeling from escaping into your consciousness or to avoid a confrontation with those feelings that might be unbearable.
Potential sources of unconscious rage
He suggests there are 3 areas that are potential sources of unconscious rage.
- Childhood trauma or incidents that never dissipated
- Self-imposed pressure. If you are driven, perfectionist or desire to be seen as good.
- Reactions to real, everyday pressures
He goes into great detail about personalities, scientific studies and his own case histories. I won’t go into that level of detail here, but I would highly recommend reading the book if you have any physical pain.
Summary of his technique to have a pain free life
First, you must acknowledge the psychological basis for your pain. If you can’t figure out your reason, get help from experts of Kansas City QC Kinetix (for Pain Control) who sorts it out easily for you. There are many reasons for repressed rage and the realm of the unconscious is not logical or reasonable. Whenever you are aware of pain, think consciously about any repressed rage and the reasons for it. It’s like a counterattack to the brain’s attempt to divert your attention. You must pay attention to unpleasant thoughts and feelings in order to deny your pain.
Talk to your brain. Sounds silly but your mind will listen. Tell your mind you are no longer willing to be diverted or intimidated. Tell your body to increase blood flow to the area of pain.
Write out any pressures you are feeling in your life. These are self-imposed pressures of being a perfectionist or a goodist. Remember happy things, like marriage, can also cause pressure or stress in the body.
Reflect and meditate daily. Think about what it takes to get better. For some, just shifting attention from physical to psychological will do the trick.
Here are the keys to remember:
- Decide that your pain is rooted in psychological issues
- Set aside time every day to focus on issues that may be bothering you. Included everything from relationships to finances.
- Make a list of your problems and sort them into ones you can do something about and ones you can’t. Take action on the items you can and acknowledge the ones you can’t and accept them as they are. You will never eliminate all your concerns or problems, you just have to be aware of them.
- Think about the type of person you are. Are you a perfectionist, compulsive, high achiever, impatient, or any other type? You don’t have to change who you are, you just need to acknowledge it and understand what is inside you that needs distraction.
- Keep reminder yourself, all day long, whatever is bothering me, I am not going to allow it to cause physical pain. For example, “My back/neck is acting up. What is going on in my life or in my mind to make it hurt?”
- After a few weeks of consistent action using the above listed steps, start to move your body more. Go slowly and just be observant of tiny improvements.
Dr. Sarno states, “Nor is it possible for us to change our personalities and stop trying to be perfect and good. If we are aware that we possess these traits we can modify our behavior and lessen whatever negative effects they have on us, but basically we remain the same people we have always been. Although rage never goes away and we continue to generate it, once we acknowledge it, the rage becomes less threatening, losing some of its sting.“ (page 161)
I believe these insights are worth investigating if you have chronic, physical pain of any sort. So, after reading this book, I had an insight as to why 5 Element Acupuncture is so good at relieving physical pain even though, unlike TCM, we don’t do pain prescription points. The difference is 5 Element touches the mind, body, and spirit. With my patients, I offer space for people to address their fears, anger, and stress in their life. The points I choose are specific to that individual patient and support the emotional well-being of the patient.
If you are interested in locating a 5 Element acupuncturist in your area, just email me and I’d be happy to help you.
