What happens when chronic pain goes on for too long?
Many fall into a deep dark rabbit hole believing their pain has no hope, is unfixable or they "just have to live with it." This can draw your body and mind into a state of adaptation which then can lead to many years of experiencing pain better known as a "chronic pain patient." When the human enters this state of heightened sensation, of constant pain, constant thought about pain, beliefs or ideas of the pain that is being experienced, it can escalate into misinterpretation of pain.
This is where we meet Central Sensitization.
I tried to break it down as simply as possible so it's easy to digest.
Central sensitization is a complex process that happens when the nervous system becomes oversensitive to pain. During an injury or illness, sensory signals are sent from the body to the brain via nerve pathways to let the brain know what’s happening. These signals are then processed by various parts of the brain to create the experience of pain. However, if pain signals keep coming in over an extended period, the neural pathways can become hyper-sensitive and over-respond to incoming information. In other words, the brain and spinal cord get stuck in the "pain alarm" mode, even when there is no ongoing tissue damage or injury. This heightened sensitivity can lead to chronic pain and discomfort, even in response to normal sensations that wouldn't otherwise cause pain. Therefore, central sensitization can contribute to the development of chronic pain conditions and can make existing pain issues even worse.
This leaves us to think...
Should some form of pain interpretation therapy be given to a patient during and after an injury? If so, what can help manage that alarm signal in case, it does malfunction? Managing the state of mind, perception, and awareness during active therapy yields better results in terms of the patient's understanding of what's going on as they are receiving the therapy. This can help manage the avoidance phase of chronic pain and they will be encouraged to continue their therapy from a place of understanding. We can heal the body, but the mind/brain must understand that it is no longer in a state of emergency.
Meditation
Concentration
Breath awareness
Do not doubt the science behind meditation. IT WORKS!
In an NCCIH-funded study published in The Journal of Neuroscience today, Dr. Fadel Zeidan and his colleagues at Wake Forest School of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center presented a surprising finding that mindfulness meditation achieves its pain relief effect without engaging the opioid receptors in the brain. Mindfulness meditation, a mind-body intervention combining focused attention on the breath with a reduction in the awareness of external sensations and consequent thoughts, has been shown by many studies as a moderately effective approach for pain relief. Brain imaging studies have also shown that similar brain areas are activated during both mindfulness meditation and pain-modulation techniques mediated by opioid receptors. However, when Dr. Zeidan and his colleagues blocked the opioid receptors with naloxone during meditation, they discovered that naloxone failed to block the pain-relief effect of mindfulness meditation.
Don't waste time.
Meditation is a skill worth learning, you may not need to regulate pain right now, but it is also proven that a consistent practice of meditation builds mental resiliency for in the case there is a traumatic event or an emergency we are better equipped to process that change or event.
Book your meditation training NOW!
More to come on meditation resources.
Stay tuned- The Vault Meditation.
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