Five ways emotion can cause physical pain.
We’ve all experienced that sensation when nerves give us “butterflies” in our stomachs, stress gives us tense shoulders and worry can churn your insides, but when presented with the idea that unprocessed emotion could be the cause of chronic illness and pain we often dismiss it as a “woo woo” idea. Why? Is it because we don’t believe it? That we struggle to see the link? Or could it be that it might be caused by something that we are unwilling or unready to address?
I will use myself as an example here. I battled persistent and progressively worsening SI joint (the joint between the sacrum and pelvis) issues since around 6-7 months after my first child was born. For a long time I thought it was down to weakness in my pelvis from lack of exercise during pregnancy and maybe a bit of jarring during labour. I had numerous physiotherapy appointments, took painkillers when necessary and (reasonably successfully) rehabilitated it through yoga, but still it persisted. Yes, the characteristic twinge followed hours later by an inability to stand up straight or lift my young children had diminished to the point I was able to keep going after it happened, but it was still happening with annoying regularity.
Enter functional kinesiology.
Whilst doing my foundation training in Kinesiology, a system that uses muscle energy testing to find and correct imbalances in the body (via lymphatic, nutritional, emotional, energetic and neurolymphatic systems), I volunteered myself to demonstrate a test for a muscle linked to “sacrum imbalance”. Sure enough, it was very weak, thus needed rebalancing to correct the issue. I had thought it would be a simple physical “fix” as I believed it was linked to weakness and jarring. I had no idea that the system it was linked to was emotionally charged, specifically to frustration. Through the demonstration the tutor asked when it had started and what had been going on at that time, I replied that it was when my son’s sleep and digestive issues had begun (the start of a long journey to finding out he was intolerant to corn) and that trying to get help and advice was difficult as I kept being told to sleep train him or let him “cry it out” which felt like a terrible idea as I knew he was in pain. “So pretty frustrating?” she replied. YES! She selected a Bach remedy to help process frustration and went through the rest of the techniques used to rebalance this system. I was surprised to find that the muscle had now turned strong. What’s more, I woke the next morning without the lingering ache that I’d had for over 2 years. My mind was blown!
I’ve since learned more about how emotion, especially “undigested” emotion, can cause and stop the body recovering from chronic pain as well as a host of other issues. Here are five ways those “stuck” emotions can manifest in your body;
Persistent Headaches - are often, unsurprisingly, linked to the neck muscles which feed into the stomach meridian. Have you ever heard the phrase that someone is being “a pain in the neck”? Frustration, empathy, understanding, dismay and validation play a role here. You may also find you suffer with frequent colds, nose bleeds, allergies, asthma and balance issues.
Low back ache - This is such a common complaint and can stem from any number of issues. Emotionally it can come from a lack of support (pertinent as the lumbar spine supports us), and the Small Intestine meridian, which links in to a lack of joy, sadness and agitation. You may also find you have frequent digestive issues or knee problems.
Sciatic pain - this is a big one and incredibly debilitating when it flares up. If this is an issue bilaterally (on both sides) it can indicate an issue with the jaw, which signals difficulty with expression, speaking your mind or articulating your thoughts. It may also, via the meridians, link in to elbow/shoulder pain, menopausal symptoms and knee pain.
Ear ache - I can never decide if ear ache or toothache is worse. Either way they are not pleasant. Ear issues are often linked into the Kidney meridian, which is a water element and thus linked primarily to fear. This may be current or something that has happened in the past which has not released itself from your body. You may also experience eye issues, hearing problems, tinnitus and balance problems.
Shoulder tension - This may stem from an emotional imbalance in the Liver meridian, leaving you feeling angry, edgy and irritable. This meridian is a metal element, so imbalance here may be affected by grief or an inability to mentally let go of something. This system also relates to frequent Headaches.
Did any of these resonate with you? Or do you have a persistent ache that won’t budge no matter what you do physically? … maybe there is an emotion behind it. If you’d like to explore this, why not book in for a “Meridian Therapy” session where we can look for the root cause and begin to help your body “digest” it. If you don’t live near me, I’d highly recommend finding your local kinesiologist or therapist who integrates this practice into their work. As always, if you have any questions pop over to the contact page and drop me a message.