The Relationship Between Emotions And Physical Pain

Emotions and physical pain have an almost direct relationship that you have probably experienced on more than one occasion. For example, a labor dispute that caused you to have a stomach ache or an argument with your partner that gave you a headache. Another example is worrying about something you have been exposed to for a long time, and then feeling the muscles in your back get tense.

And what about the pain from a “broken” heart? If you have ever been through a breakup or been abandoned and betrayed, the emotional distress is intense and can be devastating in many ways. So much so that your body feels the impact of the experience.

Difficult emotional situations can trigger fatigue, lethargy and even numbness in muscles and joints. So what’s going on here? How is it possible that worrying a lot or having your heart broken can be physically painful? Let’s dive deeper.

Emotions and physical pain

Psychology and medicine have been exploring the intimate relationship between emotional pain and physical pain for decades. The phenomenon, which researchers call “somatization”, shows the consciousness between body and mind. While the idea of ​​a body-mind connection seems normal to us today, it was once revolutionary, when it directly opposed Cartesian dualism.

This body-mind connection is the reason why patients diagnosed with depression often experience headaches, muscle aches, digestive problems and chronic pain. In fact, neurobiological research shows that a lot of physical pain is related to emotional stress.

Studies show that medical professionals should always take mental and emotional factors into account when making a medical diagnosis. Abdominal pain in a patient may not be the result of a stomach ulcer, but the side effect of an anxiety disorder.

Sadness and anger have the greatest impact on the body

Dr. Afton Hassett is a researcher at the Chronic Pain & Fatigue Research Center at the University of Michigan . He points out that human emotions have both positive and negative effects on the body.

• This effect can either help or harm the body. Some of the most unpleasant feelings for your body are sadness and anger. Having been abused or abandoned as a child, losing a loved one or going through a complicated relationship can have significant physical consequences.
• The range of possible physical symptoms is wide, with back pain being the most common. As we mentioned above, anger is a particularly powerful emotion. Dr. Hassett points out that the most irritable people or those who have suppressed their emotions for a long time, tend to be hypersensitive to pain. They are also more likely to have stomach problems, migraines and joint pain.

Emotions and physical pain: Which are most intense?

What hurts the most? Losing a loved one or breaking a bone? Beat up with your partner or burn yourself on a hot stove? While these questions may seem contradictory, they do have a clear answer: Emotional pain hurts more than physical pain.

That is the conclusion of a study published in the Journal of Psychological Science by Dr. Adrienne Carter-Sowell and Dr. Shangheng Chen. The keys to understanding this relationship are the following:

• Emotional disorder often lasts longer. While physical pain is temporary, the pain caused by emotions and feelings can last for years or even a lifetime.
• People are not good at dealing with negative emotions. Consequently, not being able to treat loss or a breakup can turn this emotional pain into something chronic. The same thing happens with anger, as we mentioned above. If you have been hiding frustration and anger for something for years, it will definitely have an impact on your body.

• The authors of this study also made an interesting point. You can not relieve physical pain, but people are very good at activating emotional pain over and over again. In other words, it is impossible to fully remember the pain of a broken bone, but it is easy to relive how you felt when your partner left you, whether it was yesterday or many years ago.

Enter the emotional work

We know that emotion and physical pain are two sides of the same coin. It happens all the time. Chest tightness, muscle spasms, neck pain, headache. What can you do in these circumstances? The answer is simple, but difficult to use. You have to work with emotional handling. Try not to ignore your emotional issues. Do not postpone this emotional work. Grab it today.

A quarrel that ends badly, poorly managed stress, unresolved worries or a painful break that you just can not move on from. All of these experiences have side effects that go beyond the emotional world, so it is very important to deal with them properly. Always remember that if you are unable to cope with your emotional pain, trained, qualified professionals can help you.