The Mind Body Connection
Conventional medicine is increasingly acknowledging the role of the mind-body connection in the initiation and maintenance of chronic pain. In this age of sophisticated research methods and technology, the evidence is impossible to ignore. When the body experiences an injury, like back pain, the pain travels along two pathways from the source of the pain to the brain. One is the sensory pathway that relays the message of physical pain meanwhile; the other is the emotional pathway that transmits the message to the part of the brain that processes emotions. The interrelated connection between the mind and body exists.
A simple example is the common experience of heightened pain at times of emotional distress. This “bank account” concept can be described when the overall pain experienced is the sum of…
…will be familiar to many with chronic pain.
Experience, and now neuroscience, can explain why emotions and distress alter the experience of pain. Put simply, the way we think, feel and react is fundamental to managing pain. Treatment regimens that target both the mind and body are key to managing pain.