Our bodies often express what our minds cannot handle. This is called psychogenic pain or physical pain that is linked to emotional stress. Psychogenic pain isn’t a flighty new-age concept. In fact, quite a few studies have looked at the relationship between physical pain and emotional stress. Even ancient practices like East Asian Medicine (EAM) have been aware of how the state of our mind affects our body.
Psychogenic pain is a term for pain caused by psychological factors like depression and anxiety. It is closely linked to the emotions of depression and anxiety, but can also be caused by other factors like stress and anger. People with depression and anxiety may report experiencing psychogenic pain all over their bodies, even when there is no physical cause to be found.
Unfortunately, psychogenic pain is harder to treat than pain caused as a direct result of injury, nerve damage or inflammation. With pain that is related to physical trauma or inflammation, herbal remedies, massage, chiropractic care and gentle stretching can often be used to remediate the problem. However, with psychogenic pain, you need to battle your mind in order to get to a different state of thinking and being, which is a little more difficult.
Our minds are capable of creating many types of physical symptoms in the body. Whether that is back pain, shoulder pain or neck pain, the mind is a powerful contributor to the aches and pains we often experience. And while many doctors claim that these symptoms are “all in our heads,” studies show that the patients feel real physical pain, real digestive upset and more. But their origin may be fundamentally emotional.
Part of the reasoning behind psychogenic pain is that Western society has not provided sufficient ways to deal with stress and trauma. The go-to is talk therapy and while it can be beneficial for some, it doesn’t always get to the core of the issue for many. We all need different ways of processing trauma and stress, or even excitement. From a young age, we learn these feelings are not welcome for expressing around other people. We are taught to repress our feelings even before we are old enough to understand what is happening. And it is this repressing of emotions, pain, sadness and even excitement, that causes real, physical pain. Instead of processing your anger or hurt feelings, you get a headache. Instead of dealing with the fact that you’ve taken on too much responsibility, the “weight of the world” manifests as shoulder pain.
Obviously, not all pain that we experience is psychogenic, but many times chronic pain that seems to get worse and then get better, can be linked to an emotional event, trauma or just the ups and downs of everyday stress. Psychogenic pain can present anywhere in the body, at any time and for any reason. The challenge is to figure where the connections are and work on the problems that might be contributing to the physical pain. Here are some examples of psychogenic pain that many people experience.
1. Neck Pain – If you have a pain in your neck, you might have issues forgiving yourself and / or others. Your neck is where you hold guilt and self-loathing. If you feel like you’re having strong judgements about yourself, now would be a great time to start making a list of all the things you love about yourself. If you feel guilty about something, come clean. The neck houses several energetic meridians and the one that is most commonly affected is the gallbladder meridian. The gallbladder meridian is associated with resentment, decision-making and frustration, so it’s easy to see why neck pain can frequently be helped by utilizing points along the gallbladder meridian.
2. Shoulder Pain – Tense shoulders could be a sign that you’re carrying too much weight of the world around with you. You take on more responsibilities than you can handle, and the stress of trying to keep up is getting to be a bit too much. Try slowing down and not taking on so much. Take some you-time every now and then, and believe that you’re worth your time, just as much as everyone else is. There are several meridians that run through the shoulder area, but one of the most frequently affected is the large intestine channel. The large intestine channel is associated with the emotions of sadness and an inability to let go. So if you’re experiencing shoulder pain, it might be time to “let go” of some of the responsibilities that are holding you back.
3. Low Back Pain – The low back is where the kidney and urinary bladder meridians run in East Asian Medicine. And these two meridians are associated with the emotion of fear. So if you’re experiencing low back pain it may be related to some sort of fear that you are harboring. Perhaps it’s the fear of financial ruin or the fear of losing a loved one. Regardless of the fear, it can easily manifest as chronic low back pain and shouldn’t be ignored.
4. Knee Pain – The knees are like the shoulders in the sense that there are multiple meridians that flow through them. The liver meridian is a “big gun” in East Asian Medicine and it plays a very important role in our ability to be flexible and handle daily frustrations. Your knees represent your ability to bend and flow with life. If your knees are healthy, they bend easily. If not, they are rigid and painful. Rightfully so, if you’re a rigid, non-bending person, your knees will also be the same. Rigid knees often go hand-in-hand with those who are stubborn and ego-ridden. Learn to ease up a bit and be humble.
Many people don’t realize that acupuncture and East Asian Medicine can help with many emotional and mental health issues, which can then help with the physical pain that may accompany the emotions or trauma. If you have been dealing with chronic pain or you feel like there is an emotional connection to your pain, consider giving East Asian Medicine a try. Many people find relief through this medicine and you can too.