What is Pain?
"Pain...plants the flag of truth within the fortress of a rebel soul"
CS Lewis. The Problem of Pain 1940.
Pain is without doubt one of the greatest problems to confront humanity. There is something about pain that demands attention and that challenges us at the very core of our being. Pain shatters our illusion that all is well.
What does pain tell us?
Emerging theories are radically changing the way that pain is understood. For those suffering from pain these ideas bring new opportunities and point to a path ahead.
The key to understanding pain is to recognise it as a reality sign. There is a message in our pain. Pain is in fact one of the body's most powerful means of capturing our attention and communicating a message that all is not well. The challenge lies in how we interpret and respond to that message.
There are two main types of pain : acute and persistent. Acute pain is short-term and is defined as lasting for less than 3 months. Persistent pain is defined as lasting for 3 months or more. The idea that acute pain has a message is straightforward. The acute pain message typically warns of physical harm and prompts corrective action. For example, if you pick up something hot, pain gives a powerful message telling you to let go. Here pain is clearly linked to tissue damage.
By contrast, persistent pain is less straightforward. However, current approaches offer new ways of interpreting and responding to the persistent pain message. Persistent pain is not usually related to tissue damage, therefore its message is very different to that of acute pain. A common trap lies in not appreciating this difference and taking acute pain thinking into the persistent phase. This can cause problems. For example, if a person's persistent low back pain flares while vacuum cleaning and he believes that damage is occuring, it is likely that he will stop the activity altogether which is unhelpful. In fact, it is extremely unlikely that the flare of pain will relate to damage. Persistent pain is therefore more complex and one needs to look beyond the site of the initial problem to find a message.
A whole person approach
The whole person model shown below is a way of illustrating how connected we are as human beings. Each of us has a deep, inner self ("I am") that is expressed outwardly through mind, body, spirit, relationship and the way we interact with the environment.
Seen from this whole person perspective there are multiple contributors to pain. At times pain can relate predominantly to bodily injury. This is most typical of acute pain. However, if pain becomes persistent, additional factors are generally involved. The mindbody connection and behavioural effects come into play. The message of pain may then point to broader problems that are expressed through the body.
The Whole Person
The message of pain can point to problems of body, mind, spirit, relationship or environment.
The community information section of this website provides current information about ways to interpret and respond to the message of pain in your life.