According to a friend in nursing school, in "Western" medicine pain is what the patient says it is. A patient with any complaint of pain is examined physically and treated physically to help him/her not feel pain. If there is no pain or symptoms of disease, a medical doctor has no reason to change that patient's normal course of action. There is nothing wrong. Simple enough.
I asked my nursing school friend what he was taught about emotional causes of pain.
He stymied for a moment and then wanted to clarify: emotions as a result of pain..?
"No," I said, "emotions as the cause of pain."
He replied that this idea is an alternative approach, more like "Eastern" medicine. In the Western sciences a patient with persistent complaints of pain with no perceivable physical cause is referred to psychological or mental health disciplines. Depending on the patient's social background and/or insurance plan, this option may improve the patient's condition. Results of psychological treatment are completely unpredictable.
In other words, the idea that non-physical causes of pain can be assessed and treated by a medical practitioner is an entirely Non-Western paradigm.
As a bodyworker I represent the alternative approach. I am a silent partner to chiropractors and "progressive" physicians and physical therapists who recommend massage for long-term muscular tension that functional doses of medication do not resolve.
Whether referred or not, I touch hundreds of people each year. In my experience it is undeniable that the Physical, Emotional and Spiritual aspects interconnect and directly affect a person's comfort.
The following observations are from years as an alternative health care professional. I feel sneaky divulging this information, as if I'm giving away trade secrets even though these are realities of my work. I have no intention to disprove the importance of Western medicine, physiology or biochemistry. My intention is to open a window into collective thinking. I believe that a unique blend of the paradigms as needed for each person. Please regard the following with an open mind.
Physical Pain as a result of external causes:
In Chinese medicine "external causes" are referred to as External Pernicious Influences. "Pernicious" has the inference of gradual or subtle nature, and thus includes climate conditions: excessive exposure to wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness, or heat such as a from a furnace. Other causes of pain/disease with external origins include pathogens/pollutants/poisons and physical injury such as caused by impact or cut. These include being bitten, stung, broken, dislocated, knifed and shot.
With respect to external causes of physical pain Eastern and Western medicine for the most part agree, at least to the extent of initial treatment: remove the person from further damage; remove as much toxicity/poison as possible, treat a wound, and support efficient organ functioning to return full health.
Longer-term assessment techniques and further treatment methods differ wildly between Eastern and Western medicine.
Physical Pain as a result of internal causes:
Yes, Chinese medicine recognizes Internal Pernicious Influences. This refers to excessive, unexpressed emotional climates. And yes, a traditionally trained Chinese physician will treat someone for unexpressed Anger. It is up to the patient to cope with his/her emotions in a healthy way, but the responsible physician will follow-up with probing questions on return visits and advise resolution. The following are the "negative" emotional stagnations: fear, grief, anxiety, excessive worry, frustration, anger, and joy. Indeed it is possible to have an excess of joy, which manifests as mania commonly counter-balanced by depression.
Western science has seen the chemical transformation that takes place in an individual experiencing strong emotional stimulus. In fact, the theory of a "holographic" experience is becoming more widespread among biochemist. This is evidence that the memory of an emotional event simulates an exact replication of the brain activity that occurred at the original event. It stands to reason that a single emotional event, left un-expressed/"un-treated," can potentiate unlimited emotional traumas as unrelated events trigger that one memory.
Further studies in neuroscience have uncovered our addictions to these experiences. Whether a "good" or "bad" feeling is invoked, the more times a person reproduces emotional situations the more normal they become to the nervous system.
An Eastern approach to treatment would support the organ networks that have been weakened as a result of the excess in one organ. Depending on the duration of this internal disorder there may be cause for deep cleansing and nourishment of blocked or starved physical systems while the patient learns how to safely release his/her emotions.
Physical Pain as a result of spiritual causes:
Just to throw that paradigm-twisting element at you, this piece challenges the idea that our Spiritual body consists of the belief in God or not. In the Eastern paradigm Five essential Spirits are endogenous to each major ("storehouse" or yin) organ. Within the Lungs we have Ancestral Spirit, which manifests physical, genetic characteristics; the Kidneys house our unique direction in life, called the Willpower, our Spleen contains our Cogitative function, giving us discernment in processing tasks; the Heart houses the Shen, our Animate Spirit, that helps us interact appropriately with each other; and the Liver somehow contains our Astral Spirit, which connects our mind with the experience of physical embodiment. In the perfect human life a person will continually check in with the needs of each Spirit, thus live a balanced and smooth life in harmony with his/her nature.
The greater likelihood exists that a person allows external influences (namely family, friends and society) to dictate his/her interaction with life. As it is stated in religious texts the world around, the voice of the outside world is hardly ever the correct voice for a person to follow, thus we inadvertently damage our individual Spirits in the effort to "do the right thing" by our own health.
Before discounting this possibility altogether, recall the scientific evidence that our smallest particles are compose of "mostly nothing." Some scientists call this the residence of Spirit or Consciousness. Pain with spiritual causes almost always manifests as a lack of energy, focus or connection. There may also be restlessness, frustration and confusion, or fear when faced with new situations. It can be reasoned that if a person denies his/her natural impulses for long enough the organ that contains the corresponding Spirits begin to show signs of neglect. These signs vary among the organs and according to what the person does to negate his/her "inner wisdom."
Throughout the day each organ has a two-hour phase of peak energy. This flavors our experience as that organ energy raises to dominance, and is useful information to determine which of the Spirits may be weak. An Eastern doctor may question a patient's annual cycles to determine the depth of a Spiritual disorder. An inquiry into dietary habits and family tendencies is in order. Treatment may involve gradual but thorough changes in much of what a person has done for years or decades to create the pain condition. On a metaphorical level, this sort of treatment involves leaving what is "known" behind and venturing into a deeper knowledge of "the self."
I invite all readers to share experiences, revelations and comments, etc. regarding pain that has a seemingly nonphysical origin. In Western culture it is an under-discussed subject, in my opinion.
Take heart in the Eastern axiom "If there is pain, there is energy to solve the disorder."
It is a matter of opening to a bigger, or different picture, investigating further possibilities and having a willingness to follow the path not travelled by people around you.Best wishes for your abundant health!
Christian
