There is no doubt about it that having pain is a very emotionally uncomfortable experience. The connection between the emotions and pain is slowly gaining more awareness with people in general; however, there is still alot of mystery around the subject. I am personally trying to get a better grasp on this subject myself because I really feel it affects me deeply.
There are people, such as myself, that have a very strong emotional core. I know I was not taught good strategies as an outlet to these emotions and as a result I tend to “stuff” those emotions. The question is…. where do they get “stuffed”? I am finding that they get stored in different parts of our bodies.
How many times have you gotten bothered by something but it was not appropriate to express your feelings. What do you do with that feeling? Where does it go… It may seem like it just goes away after awhile but in reality you become disconnected with the incident but it gets stored in the body.. somewhere. Over time as you store these feelings in different parts of your body it builds up and you get a physical pain response. There is an actual medical term for a form of this and it is somatization.
So how can you reconnect with these original feelings? This involves really getting in touch with the pain. This may not be a comfortable experience; however, as you focus on the pain you are feeling try to identify if there are any emotions associated with it such as sadness, anxiety, fear, overwhelm. After you are able to identify the feeling try to think back to a time where you felt feeling similar to what you are identifying in the pain location. A weird random memory may come up. Regardless of how unrelated it may seem it is highly likely it is related somehow.
Whatever that scenario may be that comes up you can work on reframing the incident in a new light to create a positive outcome, which is basically like reprogramming your brain. This can be difficult to do, and sometimes the emotions are so overwhelming that just facing them is a daunting task. In these cases, I recommend working with a technique called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
With EFT gentle tapping is done using chinese meridian lines. It is a very simple technique… deceivingly simple actually; however, exceptionally powerful. The technique can actually even seem silly to do; however, when an emotional incident is addressed it can lower the emotional intensity from a 8/10 to 2/10 in a matter of 15 minutes. In that process, you go from feeling you are fully immersed in the experience (when it is 8/10) to feeling like you are watching the scenario on a TV screen (when it is a 2/10).
When the emotional intensity has resolved then it allows the body area in which the memory was stored to heal. Since you are no longer storing emotional pain in the area the physical pain can then release and the body is more responsive to any physical modalities that may be used such as adjustments, massage, stretching and exercise.
I have explained a very basic way to start using EFT in chapter 6 of my book Free My Back. If you do not already have a copy then click here for a free ebook version of Free My Back so you can get started using EFT for your pain today.
Once you are familiar with the technique and want to take it to the next level then I can help you out. I have been taking people through EFT tapping experiences for over 10 years, and have seen a variety of results including decreased back pain, resolution of chronic and unexplainable nausea, relief of headaches, curbing emotional eating habits and more. The beauty of this technique is that it can be done over the phone or via Skype. Interested in learning more? I would love to do a phone consult with you! Register here for a time slot and we can move forward with a conversation.
I look forward to playing a role in your success story!
Blessings,