Pain can be a signal that something is wrong. It is often the body’s way of telling you something needs attention and something needs to change… 

The catch is the pain doesn’t necessarily tell you what it is that actually needs attention nor what it is that actually needs to change. 

This can be confusing: If I stub my toe, I know why my toe hurts… but pain also arises in parts of us without a direct definite cause. 

Following our logical brains, we look for the specific cause and location of the problem. When we identify the part of us in pain, we tend to worry that the pain means some part of body isn’t functioning well. We then worry since the body isn’t functioning correctly we shouldn’t do the activities that seem to elicit the pain… 

“I can’t walk because my hip hurts”, 

“My knee must not be working right because it hurts,”

“I had to give up _______ (fill in your favorite activity: running, skiing, painting, etc…) because my ________ (back, shoulder, neck, etc.) hurts - it’s my ______ (fill in the determined condition: stenosis, herniated disc, any sort of “itis” - arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, etc…)” 

We get focused on one solution - get rid of the pain. To get rid of the pain we attack the symptom or alter the body part where the pain is located… Painkillers and ice (or alcohol and drugs) to numb our sensations and when those don’t work, we either immobilize that body part or cut it out with surgery… 

Here’s the revelation ( a few quotes from Stephen Hayes’ book, Get out of Your Mind and Into Your Life):

“In virtually every area of chronic pain, physical pathology (the objectively assessed physical damage) bears almost no relation to the amount of pain, reduced functioning, and disability.” 

Said in another way: 

“The relationship between the amount of pain and degree of functioning is… weak.” 

What’s going on here!? 

It turns out pain - particularly chronic pain - has many contributing factors including: diet, sleep quality, past trauma, unprocessed emotions, stress, as well as poorly coordinated movement patterns - just to name a few! 

So although we’d do well to look at our lives holistically and clean up anything that could be contributing to the pain we experience… The things that determine how well we are able to continue living fully are - our willingness to feel, along with a valued sense of direction. 

It’s not seeking to get rid of the pain that helps, but rather our ability to develop a different relationship with everything we are feeling. 

To quote Stephen Hayes again: 

“What predicts Functioning is: 

1. Your willingness to experience pain, and 

2. Your ability to act in a valued direction while experiencing it.” 

So, when you are clear on what you value most in life, even though you may experience pain, you can use that clarity to help you move in your chosen direction. Even though the pain may be present, you might also experience the joys and pleasures of living out the life that is best for you. 

These ways of gaining clarity and redefining our relationship with our sensations can be practiced and mastered as skills. If you’d like some help with this, consider booking a Consultation to Move Freely and Live Fully.