Managing Body & Mental Pain

“Illness is the doctor to whom we give the most attention. To kindness, to knowledge, we give only promises. Pain we obey.” Marcel Proust

Pain could be described as a paradoxical phenomenon. It feels like something others have done to us, while in reality we have produced it ourselves, constructing the sensation. When I am in pain, I stop every other activity and take care of the part of me that hurts.

For example, when the whole body is healthy except for one single point that hurts, our attention is constantly focused on the pain caused by that injured spot. We usually see pain as a symptom, a problem that must be dealt with. Thus, the emphasis we give is on relieving the symptoms.

However, there is another perspective in which the problem itself is an attempt at “healing” from a limited perception we have of ourselves. Pain is a bridge that brings us into contact with other aspects of our self, allowing us to have a more complete picture of who we are. From this viewpoint, the goal is not to eliminate the symptom (the pain) but to explore it.

Pain, whether emotional or physical, is an opportunity to expand our personal identity. Master Eckhart said: “If you want the kernel, you must break the shell.” Pain is when our shell is broken and we can show what exists inside us. Psychotherapy is a helpful means to discover our core.