We all suffer from pain at some time or another. But what is pain? And how do we deal with and manage pain from a holistic point of view instead of grabbing the first and best over-the-counter painkiller to numb the pain?
Pain is difficult to explain as an accurate description of the sensations we experiences are somewhat abstract and entirely dependent on the person experiencing the pain – every single person experiences pain differently in terms of duration and intensity. However, the reason for experiencing pain is universal – it is a warning sign from the body to the conscious mind that there is a definite problem somewhere which needs to be addressed. It is the body saying “Hey, pay attention. Something is not quite right!”
Pain is generally categorised into two principal areas, i.e., acute pain and chronic pain.
Acute pain is an immediate pain that we experience when suffering from an accident or some form of an infection. Acute pain is often called an “emergency” pain that warns you that there is a problem that needs immediate and urgent attention. Once the cause of acute pain has been addressed, the pain will usually start to subside and may eventually go away completely as healing takes place.
Chronic pain on the other hand is usually long-term and ongoing. Chronic pain is most often a symptom of an underlying health issue that needs to be addressed and signifies that we need to delve deeper into the body-mind dialogue to get to the root cause of such chronic pain. Chronic pain is thus less of a sign of the need for immediate action to address an issue within the body, and more down to a symptom that will not leave and will eventually need attention. Chronic pain often occurs for no apparent reason and it may be difficult to diagnose, so it continues and endures.
Both acute and chronic pain are experienced on a physical level but frequently pain can also be felt on a psychological level. Pain could be caused by something that affects us emotionally rather than physically such as the loss of a loved one, an argument, loss of a job/home or feelings of rejection. Psychological pain can also be caused by stress and anxiety and can go on to cause depression and other mental health issues. This may even manifest by presenting physical health issues.
Whilst pain is a highly unpleasant and often a feared experience, it also happens to be one of the body’s most vital functions, providing us with important information about our current state of health and well-being, external risk factors to our health, the need for rest or healing and even the need for seeking external support and counselling to help us improve and deal with the situation we are facing.
Through holistic pain management an alternative way of dealing with and managing pain can be pursued. Holistic pain management is about seeing and treating pain not only as a physical issue but also delving into the mental, emotional and a spiritual…
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