Is there a link between Chronic Pain, Chronic Exhaustion & Personality Type?
Has anyone around you (your family member, co-worker or a friend) mentioned about having a severe, incurable pain that appears to have no medical source OR a pain that moves around hinting that it is not related to a physical defomity or injury? And after trying traditional methods of pain relief like chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, & surgery, the pain eventually came back or a new pain disorder arose?
And have you noticed any of the below personality traits in them?
# PERFECTIONISTS who insist on a ‘right’ way of doing things, labeled as ’control freaks’. Very ambitious, driven, accomplished
# PEOPLE PLEASERS who are highly sensitive with a strong need to appease others or go along with what others want, are care-takers, peace-makers, or possess a strong desire to be liked/approved by others
# SELF-RIGHTEOUS with a need to be right, are very self-critical, hold themselves to extremely high standards, take a long time to make decisions, & fear making the wrong choice
# STOICS that don’t express emotion whether positive or negative, have difficulty opening up to people, who don’t know what they feel
# FEARFUL of getting hurt, being controlled, or being found unlovable; people who focus on worst-case scenarios, who worry something bad will happen
# LOW SELF-ESTEEM who feel they are incapable of achieving even simple tasks, feel inferior to others, feel unworthy of being heard
# AGGRESSIVE who are easily agitated, who overact with extreme anger, or have low tolerance for mistakes
Research shows, that people with the above personality traits are more to prone chronic pain/fatigue. The patterns that have worked really well at the beginning of their career helping them to accomplish, might cause a downfall in the later part of their lives.
What can be done? Is it even possible for a person suffering from life-altering chronic pain/fatigue to be cured without medication, surgery, physical therapy & medical interventions?
Well, many people suffering from chronic pain including neck-back pain, migraines, fibromyalgia, sciatica, chronic fatigue & even insomnia have done just that, including myself.
People have done this by treating the body pain issue not as the problem, but as an indication of their emotional health.
First step is AWARENESS that just as grief can cause tears & embarrassment can cause blushing, other forms of emotional stress can cause a physical reaction like pain.
When unacceptable feelings arise, the autonomic nervous system works as the mind’s defense mechanism, by decreasing blood flow to muscles, nerves, & tendons, causing oxygen deprivation in the affected area, resulting in abnormal pain.
The second step is to calm the nervous system by practicing ACCEPTANCE & then, SOMATIC HEALING by engaging in contemplative emotional inquiry. The pain then melts, energy naturally flows resulting in vitality.
This is not an easy process, but can-do wonders if done right. For many people, the self-awareness & emotional growth that comes as part of the recovery feels like a new lease on life, providing them with both physical & emotional health, joy & freedom.
Cheers to a Pain FREE life!
-Sunitha Sandeep