Jason Ferine Physical Therapy

BLOG

THE ORIGIN OF PAIN, THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION

March 4, 2022

Did you know that about 85 percent of back pain and 78 percent of headaches don’t have an identifiable trigger? And, what if I told you that the origin of nearly all physical pain is repressed emotions.

Weird right?

The Origin of Pain

For long, science has held the idea that pain is o en a symptom of another physical ailment. But in recent times, experts have become convinced that pain can be a condition on its own without a dependency on any physical trigger. Experts have also concluded that most physical pains have roots in repressed expressions of psychological distress. This idea was first muted by Dr. John Sarno.

Dr. John Sarno, a Rehabilitation Physician at the New York University, in his book, the 1991 bestseller “Healing Back Pain, The Mind-Body Connection,” held that most pain symptoms are a result of the brain trying to deal with repressed emo ons of anger, anxiety, and feelings of inferiority. He said that people whose pain isn’t caused by issue or nerve damage could become whole again without drugs or surgery but by engaging in psychotherapy or expression therapy.

At the me of his writings, the idea of expression therapy as a treatment methodology for pain conditions was considered absurd, but today, several notable scientists have found connections between repressed emo ons and physical pain, and they also agree that expression therapy can cure physical pain. Dr. Tor Wager, a neuroscience professor at Dartmouth College and the director of its Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Lab, has this to say; “the idea is now mainstream that a substantial proportion of people can be helped by rethinking the causes of their pain.”

The Mind-Body Connection

Chronic Pain is one of the most common conditions affecting Americans today. According to the Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Advancing Pain, Research, Care, and Education, over one hundred million Americans suffer from some form of pain and conditions with pain symptoms. While some chronic pain can be caused by physical nerve or issue damage, most other forms of physical pain are caused by repressed emo ons of guilt, anger, or anxiety.

Experts and proponents of expression therapy believe that all physical or stress-induced pain sensations originate from the brain and that both the mind and body are equally responsible for pain.

Psychotherapy As A Method Of Treating Chronic Pain

While psychotherapy for pain treatment can feel like a new science, the results are outstanding. Pa ents who have tried the methods have confessed to feeling be er in a very short me. They had also said that the feelings of respite are felt for far longer lasting than when they used drugs.

Wondering how psychotherapy can help relieve your pain? Call Jason Ferine Physical Therapy at 424-365-2083 to schedule an evaluation. At Jason Ferine Physical Therapy, we are firm believers in the healing power of human touch. We focus our treatments on hands-on manual therapy, strength training, yoga, exercise, and acupuncture.

Jason Ferine Physical Therapy

2300 Westwood Blvd, Ste. 100

Los Angeles, CA 90064

Tel: 424-365-2083

Fax: 310-943-3532

Email: jfptoffice@gmail.com  or jasonferinept@gmail.com

Request An Appointment

Please fill out this form and
we will contact you about scheduling.

Categories