Experiencing pain has been known to exacerbate other symptoms, such as stress and anxiety. But unfortunately, just like pain can make you feel worse mentally, your mind can cause pain without a physical source, or make preexisting pain increase or linger.
Anxiety is known to make sufferers hypersensitive to pain, which makes them focus on the pain even more. This combination only leads to more problems because focusing on pain only makes it feel worse. Anxiety also can create its own kind of pain that can soon contribute into chronic pain problems.
However, you can still feel pain even without nociceptor signals. That's because your brain can still create the sensation of pain without those signals. Nociceptors can also activate on their own, creating the feeling of pain even when there's no actual cause.
It depends. Talking about pain keeps pain at the center of our attention, which in turn keeps our brain in threat mode. When the brain senses a threat, increased pain may be the result. Luckily, this downward cycle toward pain can easily be stopped.
Pain is both physical and psychological
Neurotransmitters send messages along your spinal cord and up to your brain, saying, “Ouch! That hurts!” Pain, therefore, really is in your head.
Many people grew up being told to “just walk it off” after an injury or to “wait and see” when it comes to feeling pain anywhere in our bodies. As a child, this advice may have prevented unneeded trips to the doctor, but as an adult, it is no longer advisable to ignore pain.
Only Certain Kinds Of Pain Can Be Controlled With Your Mind
It's first worth noting that not all kinds of pain can be tackled with our minds. Acute pain and chronic pain can, however, be addressed with your thoughts, Tolman says.
If you find your pain is not connected to anything going on physically with your body, your pain may be psychosomatic – meaning it's the result of something mental rather than physical.
This is neuropathic pain, which arises when the nervous system is damaged or diseased and begins to send wholly unnecessary pain signals to the brain. It is one of the most difficult types of pain to treat and can occur following injury or illness in both the peripheral and the central nervous system.
For some people, this situation is the start of a vicious cycle. "Anxiety and stress themselves produce these physical symptoms, and on top of that your reaction to those symptoms can make them worse. The more you focus on them, the more alarmed you become, and the more intense your symptoms become," says Dr. Barsky.
Relaxation training.
Various techniques can help people to relax and reduce the stress response, which tends to exacerbate pain as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression. Techniques include progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, and mindfulness training.
In some cases, OCD can cause you to over-focus on physical sensations, which may amplify feelings of pain because you're focusing attention on the pain. According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, OCD can manifest not just through disturbing thoughts, but through physical sensations, too.
This is because your body's responses to stress are triggered by the same parts of your brain that process short-term pain signals, so when you're feeling stressed, your nervous system will react in a similar way to having an intense flare up on your back or leg—even if it's not experiencing any actual physical damage.
Physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, can also raise pain tolerance and decrease pain perception. One study found that a moderate to vigorous cycling program significantly increased pain tolerance. Mental imagery refers to creating vivid images in your mind, and it can be useful for some in managing pain.
“A lot of people think chronic pain is just some sort of mental weakness – that you're just a softy or even a liar. “We know that's not the case – pain is real and it is in the mind but not in the way you might think.
Pain: your body's way of grabbing your attention
Pain is usually useful – it grabs our attention, telling us something is wrong so maybe we should do something about it. Pain tells you to pull your hand back from the stove burner, rest after breaking your ankle, or not eat those poisonous berries ever again.
Since all or part of the pain is thought to originate from the brain or nervous system, there's an inference that psychosomatic pain is somehow not real, is imagined, and is not actually being experienced by the patient. Yet this type of chronic pain is quite real, even if there's not a physical attribution or source.
Neuromodulation devices work by delivering gentle electrical impulses to the spinal cord or peripheral nerves, helping decrease pain by blocking pain signals from reaching the brain.
Endorphins are released by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in response to pain or stress, this group of peptide hormones both relieves pain and creates a general feeling of well-being. The name of these hormones comes from the term "endogenous morphine." "Endogenous" because they're produced in our bodies.
Here are several factors that Grabois says can affect pain tolerance: Depression and anxiety can make a person more sensitive to pain. Athletes can withstand more pain than people who don't exercise. People who smoke or are obese report more pain.
Everyone suffers minor aches and pains occasionally. However, it is not normal to suffer daily pain. Fortunately, there are specialists dedicated to getting to the root of your discomfort so that you can truly heal rather than mask the pain.
Some psychological factors that might cause physical pain include anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, and stress. What Types of Pain Does It Cause? Just like pain caused by a physical stimulus, psychogenic pain can be acute or chronic. Acute pain is sharp but brief, and usually doesn't require treatment.