Every person’s experience of pain is different. Two persons may be suffering from the same condition, but the level of pain may be different. One person may feel burning, debilitating pain; while the other feels only slightly discomfort. My point is, pain is subjective and deeply personal.
All pain is real. Unfortunately, most people who think those who are suffering from chronic pain are just exaggerating or making it up. Whether or not there is a known cause, the pain needs to be treated. After all, there is nothing a patient wants more than to be pain-free.
Part of what makes chronic pain painful is that it can be incredibly isolating. In most cases, patients find it difficult to connect with people even with the one’s they are closest to. This is especially true when the pain never pauses. They feel like they’re isolated from life by in an invisible window of pain. They feel like they’re living behind a silent divide.
When you’re in pain, you may feel stressed, agitated, irritable and anxious. The stressful response usually subsides when the pain goes away. But what if the pain goes on and on for weeks, months or even years? Imagine how you would feel like.
A person who is suffering from chronic pain may also suffer from depression. According to studies, pain causes depression, and depression causes pain. Some depressed patients experience unexplained physical symptoms like headaches or back pain. Chronic pain, on the other hand, causes a number of problems and may even affect your mood. When left unaddressed, it may lead to depression. This creates a vicious cycle in which depression worsens feeling of pain, and pain worsens symptoms of depression.
Depression can impact the quality of your life and interfere with your daily routine. If you are suffering from chronic pain, I highly recommend that you let your family and friends what you’re going through. Also, receiving proper treatment is crucial.
If the pain doesn’t go away despite treatment, you may want to consider alternative forms of treatment like EMDR. Feel free to get in touch with me to learn more about EMDR and how it can help you with your pain.