Pain, throbbing, stabbing, pinching, burning
Agonizing, suffocating, tormenting, punishing
Exhausting both body and mind
Bodily trauma can be terrifying
Interventions bring fear and invasion
Problems spreading
Unexplainable aches
Injuries that won’t heal
Suffering outliving physical recovery
Some pain resides
in the mind and emotions
Sometimes pain allows you to forget
distract
cry
hide
numb
fight
flee
freeze
collapse
Sometimes pain pushes you to accomplish more
or forces you to do absolutely nothing
stops you from doing the thing you most want to do
or the thing you didn’t want to be doing anyway
isolates you
or allows you to remain attached
confirms your negative beliefs
or forces you to reassess and reassign value
not to approval, ability, or perfection
Sometimes pain teaches you
to prioritize compassion
people
family
character
effort
internal validation
good enough
Sometimes your body feels the pain of fear
shame
guilt
anger
hatred
sadness
despair
apathy
desire for comfort
empathy
care
attention
help
All the things your body needs
to feel loved and accepted
Sometimes our past wounds
neglect
abuse
bullying
abandonment
rejection
Link to the new pain and activate
begging for deeper healing
Thank you body for telling me I’m hurting
Thank you for remembering the pain I endured
and the healing I still need
Come talk
feel
sense
be with me
Therapy can help
Slowly, with patience
honor
dignity
agency
trust
curiosity
awareness
acceptance
tolerance
regulation
It’s okay to feel the sensations of the body
Lean into the pain
momentarily
temporarily
with support
Trust your body
The feeling isn’t trying to hurt you
It’s just communicating
Sending a message
Asking for something
Telling you something
Here’s my unmet need
Meet it for me and relieve the responsibility
of the part who uses pain to protect you
When we learn the wound your pain seeks to heal
We can understand what your body is doing and why
identify and fulfill the unmet need
in healthier ways
Be free to enjoy
move
walk
run
dance
swing
stretch
play
compete
and exist outside the world of
where would you rate your pain
on a scale of 1 – 10?
Carol is a psychologist and the founder of Therapy Alberta, a private group practice with local psychologists, social workers, and counsellors offering individual, couples, and family counselling and therapy in Calgary and across Alberta.