The body speaks its own language to grasp our attention to its needs. Through the cues of physical and emotional pain, our body speaks its truth. There are subtle messages within our pain. We have been taught to “suck it up and deal with it”, “get over it”, “get past it”, and other unhelpful words of advice. The key to alleviating physical and emotional pain is working through the pain.
Working through the physical and emotional pain does not mean pushing pass our threshold of pain, or enduring the suffering to get to the other side. No, working through the physical and emotional pain requires listening to the body, holding space, being open to its message, and supplying its need. It is important to understand why the body uses pain to get our attention and how the subtle messages are stored within our tissues waiting to be released.
What is pain? How does the body store e-motions within the tissues? How can one release these messages to get relief?
Pain is a “sensation of physical or emotional discomfort”. The intelligence stored within our tissues hold the key to unlocking physical and emotional pain. Quite often, pain is used as a form of communication to get one’s attention. The message starts in subtle cues, gradually increasing in amplitude, if ignored. The subtle cues can be either physical, emotional symptoms, or both. Subtle physical cues may include fatigue, changes in muscle tightness, weakness, or low level of pain sensation. Emotional cues may be slight stirring in the gut, something feeling “off”, slight increase anxiety, or depression that was not present prior, decrease in passion, and more. These cues vary from person to person.
Physical and emotional pain are usually tangled with one another. There is no separation from the body and the mind.
“The key to healing pain lies in understanding and working with body reactions. By cultivating body awareness and maintaining sensation-based focus, we learn to befriend these pain-based sensation and then to move through them…” -Peter Levine, “Freedom from Pain”.
How can one hold awareness and hold space for their pain, so they can understand its subtle cues? If one were to wake up with lower back pain with stiffness, dull ache, and pain with bending forward; then, one can stop pushing through the pain and sit with it. Focus on their breath, breathing evenly with inhaling for 3 seconds, hold for 3 seconds, and exhaling for 3 seconds. Taking 5-10 even breaths help slow one down and become more present. Now using the calm- focus, move the breath into the pain. Here, one would move their breath towards their lower back.
Physically, one can take even breaths deeper and deeper, expanding into the the lower ribs, lower back, and stomach area. Notice: how does the pain feel with each expansion of breath: expanding, moving, stiff, alleviating, or worsening? Where does the pain move? Is it fixed, or wanders? Is the pain dull, heavy, or light and sharp? Is the pain constant with each inhale, holding, and exhale, or does it come and go (intermittent)? As one become more aware of the physical sensations the body is communicating, one can notice if there are any emotions responding to the pain?
E-motion is energy in motion. Healthy emotions are observed, felt, and released. They only cause imbalances if one particular e-motion lingers for too long, or stays stuck, cycling within the body. E-motions can be stuck if they are ignored, “stuffed down”, or dismissed from oneself. The e-motions have to move in and out of the body; otherwise, they will create tension emotionally, mentally, or physically. They will built up until they become too large to ignore. It is common for one to want to ignore the emotions because they create a sense of discomfort. This is normal. To work through the discomfort: Focus on the breath. Where does the emotional reaction take place within the body? Once one finds the location, bring the focused breath to that area. Using a steady even breath, breathe right into the center of the emotional tension. Loosen anything tightening by exhaling. Use the exhale to breath out anything that no longer serves you. Let it go. Keep breathing into the center of the e-motion. If one needs to cry-cry. If one needs to scream; scream into a pillow. If one feels the need to run and disconnect, breath and connect physically to the here and now. Feel the ground giving support and realize it is a safe please to feel the e-motion and release it.
An example of releasing emotional tension for the lower back pain, one can use their breath to expand into the physical sensations; while observing any emotional responses. With each inhale expanding the the ribs, does one feel restricted, physically and emotionally? Does one have the room and safety to freely express their fears? The lower back plays a crucial role in support the entire body along with the hips. If one has stiffness, are they being inflexible and rigid? Is their creativity being stifled and not expressed? Are they trying to control everything with rigid expectations because they feel unsupported in life: in relationships, financially, emotionally, or even physically? Usually, fear is common when it comes to lower back pain because of the unknown and uncertainty of how it can progress and affect one’s life. Will the pain improve? Will one be able to move forward physically and bend with ease without the back getting stuck? Does one feel depressed by the lower back pain because of the inability to move freely?
To heal the lower back pain, one will have to address the emotional response and listen to the physical sensations felt; so one can be aware in how to give themselves what they need to heal. Physically, getting their back checked out by their Physician, Chiropractor, or Licensed Acupuncturist to address the physical cause. Gentle stretching, resting, deep breathing exercises, heat/cold compresses, ointments are all ways to physically nourish. Emotionally, do the breathing and mindful exercises to see what type of emotional response one is observing? If it is Fear, sit with the fear. Why is one afraid. If one feels unsupported, ask what can one do to provide the support needed. If one is emotionally rigid, stiff, or inflexible, ask how can one be fluid, creative, and flexible.
This body awareness exercise can be used with any type of physical, or emotional pain. Be gentle as the body is only try to communicate to get its needs met. Nurturing and holding space for the pain will help decrease its intensity and release the message stored within the pain. Practicing this awareness and strengthening the communication between one’s body will solidify trust, compassion, and a sense of peace.