Mind Over Matter:
The link between Trauma, the Brain & Chronic Pain
Western medicine has done a major disservice to individuals struggling with unexplained chronic pain and/or illnesses. We have this idea that everything can be cured with this pill or that surgery. However, this is not always the case, especially when the cause of pain is unexplained. Doctors don’t know what to tell their patients but instead of providing them education about the psychological sources of many chronic pain syndromes they provide bandaid fixes or invasive surgeries that have very little evidence of being helpful, often times just making things worse. I know this personally, as I have seen both my father and grandfather have back surgeries that only made things worse. Resulting in both of them becoming legally “disabled”. If a doctor does try to approach this topic they often do not have the knowledge or “bedside manner” to approach it in a way that doesn’t make the patient feel like they’re “crazy” or “delusional”. Let me clarify… the pain is VERY REAL. It is not make-believe or imagined, but it is linked back to your brain. It really is “all in your head.”
Let me clarify before you start cursing my name. We need to get to the root of the problem and often times it’s not a physical “injury”. Sometimes a physical injury is involved or an underlying condition that has been dormant is exacerbated, but often times there is some sort of other stressor that causes it or exacerbates what is already there. If there are underlying conditions already or other physical trauma’s to the body, adding a level of stress on top of it can cause the muscles around the area to tense and become inflamed. This can be daily stress, it could be emotional stressors, it can be a mental health diagnosis or it can be a trauma.
Let’s explore this a bit further with some basic anatomy. Our body is all connected to our brain. The spine protects thousands of nerves and connects to the brain. All the muscles in our body are also connected to our brains. This is why brain injuries such as strokes can cause permanent physical damage. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a result of a “lesion” in the protective sheath around the nerves. MS impairs the communication between our brain and body resulting in a variety of physical symptoms. The same with Parkinson’s, a disease very debilitating physically and you can look at Michael J Fox as a prime example of the physical problems that result from the malfunctioning of the brain. My EMDR trainer, Tyler Orr, refers to the nerves as “pain tubes”. Say you stub your toe on the coffee table, it takes a few seconds for that signal to be sent up to the brain, interpreted and then the message “OH SHIT THAT HURTS!” registers in our mind (and sometimes in our mouths). This explains why phantom limb pain is so real, your brain is still registering that your limb is attached and sends off a “false” alarm.
Pain is an alarm that tells us to get out of danger and sometimes this alarm sends out false signals. Much like in individuals with chronic pain such as Myofascial Pain Syndrome or MPS for short (localized pain) and Fibromyalgia (widespread and generalized pain), two conditions that are not well understood or easily explained. Often times one of these conditions is diagnosed when there is no physical explanation as to why pain is happening. This often leads to individuals with MPS and Fibromyalgia feeling frustrated, misunderstood, exhausted, sometimes hopeless, and depressed because there is no real relief being given to these individuals. Either they’re prescribed various medications or referred to mental health with no education or explanation only to be made to feel like they’re “crazy” or “delusional”.
The cause of these chronic pain syndromes is often overly sensitive nerves in an over-sensitized brain. In our spine, as I mentioned before, is our Central Nervous System (CNS). Studies like the Adverse Child Experiences (ACES) conducted by Kaiser between 1995 and 1997 have pointed out that those with higher levels of childhood trauma are more likely to have an overly sensitive “alarm” system. Sometimes it doesn’t turn off at all and results in our CNS being stuck in a permanent state of stress and arousal. This trauma doesn’t always have to be limited to childhood but the earlier trauma and repeated trauma does tend to have a more negative effect on the CNS. Attachment disruptions can also play a role in the development of unexplained chronic pain with no evidence of detectable tissue damage or another medical explanation.
If we are experiencing chronic stress or additional traumas later on in life these conditions and a variety of others can pop up and can be confusing. Loss of a loved one, loss of a job, a car accident, etc etc can be triggers for these conditions. Emotional trauma sometimes paired up with physical trauma (car accident) can lead to tension in the muscles of the body causing pain, a decrease in blood flow to the muscles, nerves, or tendons resulting in oxygen deprivation and a build-up of stress hormones/neurotransmitters in the body of the affected areas. Sometimes this can cause permanent damage or exacerbate underlying conditions or it can be only temporary. Regardless, a collaborative treatment plan among your mental and physical health providers can be helpful.
Treatment can include a combination of the following interventions:
Pharmacological Interventions (trigger point injections, NSAIDs, topical analgesics, supplements, muscle relaxers, botox, anti-depressants, CNS depressants such as allergy medications)
Non-pharmacological Interventions (physical therapy, chiropractic care, massage, acupuncture, heating pads, ice packs, stretching, yoga, massage, acupuncture, meditation, etc)
Mental Health Interventions (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and of course my favorite EMDR and other somatic therapies)
A few statistics from The Institute of Chronic Pain:
Approximately 90% of women with fibromyalgia report trauma at some point in their lives
60% of women with arthritis report a trauma history
76% of patients with chronic low back pain report having at least 1 trauma in their lives
66% of women with chronic headaches reports a history of physical or sexual abuse
58% of individuals with migraines report histories of childhood physical or sexual abuse or neglect
56% percent of women with chronic pelvic pain reports high rates of sexual abuse at some point in their lives
If you have any questions or would like to suggest a topic for a future blog, you can reach out to me by email at Colleen@ScatteredPotential.com, subscribe to my blog or my newsletter by filling out the form below. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.