Pain

One takes pain problems first to one's GP or physiotherapist, but sometimes, no current physical cause for the pain can be found.  It may get referred to as psychosomatic, which can be a bit upsetting to hear, especially as the level of pain is absolutely real, and one just wants to be rid of it.  Psychosomatic simply means that it is to do with the interaction between the body and mind.

Some pain and body sensations experienced in the present may be unintegrated pain experiences from a past event.  This is especially likely to be the case when there has been a shock or trauma at the time when the original pain began.  When the mind/body system is in a state of shock, such as just after a car accident, the experience cannot be processed and become integrated.  It then gets stuck in its original state and help may be needed to resolve and settle it .  This applies to other aspects of the experience as well, such as the emotions around it, the images, and the body's arousal systems.  Any part of the experience, or all of it, including pain can become stuck in time, but then be the cause of symptoms leaking through into the present as powerfully as in the original time.

It is sometimes not realised that the pain sensations link back to a particular experience, as at the time, one may have been totally unaware of pain.  But in working with pain using sensorimotor psychotherapy or EMDR, one can usually get back to the original experience and get it to resolve and settle.  Some people may have pain problems in the present that are unresolved birth traumas, or other early injury.  Various ways of working in psychotherapy can help to resolve these problems

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