Cause and effect works pretty well on the whole. Until it doesn’t. Until you’re left with a result (effect) for which you can’t determine the cause. Example? Pain. From time to time we experience pain, discomfort, illness, symptoms but quite determine the cause? Your back kills, shoulders hurt, can’t sleep, can’t shake a cold, gettin’ headaches; however, you never did anything to deserve that particular pain. Well, it just may be your threat bucket overflowing.
What is the threat bucket?
The cause/effect pain model dominates our understanding of pain. For this reason we fail to ask important questions:
1- Why am I feeling this particular pain?
2- Can pain stem from something unrelated to trauma?
3- What is pain, anyway?
Question: What is pain?
Answer: It is a signal from the brain to create behavioral change. Put your hand on the stove and your brain inevitably uses pain to signal (not so politely) for you to move it. Receive a traumatic injury to your knee, wrist, shoulder; the brain subsequently harnesses pain signals to ask you not to use that particular body part whilst tissue damage remains.
What about unexplained pain? Migraines from nowhere. Back pain from picking a fork up off the ground. It may be signal your threat bucket is overflowing.
All stressors that don’t have a pain output go into the threat bucket. Job stress, family stress, stress from poor eating, poor sleep, commuting, parenting. One by one, measure by measure our bucket fills until finally the body says ‘ENOUGH’! The bucket overflows. Once the bucket spills over our blood pressure rises, our cortisol soars.
What’s in must out. Your brain says Stop over-scheduling; or working too much; quit worrying, or working out too much. What gets you to stop? Pain. Sweet physical pain. Unfortunately our brain lacks language to express itself; In order to make you lie down and chill out it’ll stop you cold with pain: back pain, migraines, shingles, hemorrhoids.
Brains aren’t picky. They’ll find the easiest way to make it happen. And now your back hurts. Or maybe it’s your shoulder. Your brain takes a quick health history. ‘What got you to slow down before? Headaches? Yes. Queue up a headache then. I need ya to lie down for the weekend.
The Bucket List
At any rate we seldom line up the pain w the actual problem. In the event your back hurts you’re not immediately thinking you need to find an easier commute; or a new boyfriend; or your glasses aren’t the right prescription. Your pain must mean there’s tissue damage to the affected area. So we book a massage; see the PT and get some back exercises; or maybe we even schedule surgery. Sometimes this stuff provides relief, but it must be remembered that pain is a signal created in the brain. But, as a matter of fact, I’ve seen people change the signal and release their pain just as quickly as it arrived without doing anything to repair allegedly damaged tissue.
For example:
Having a poor sensory map of an area of your body could be a threat bucket item, right? If your brain can’t see a foot clearly that could be problematic.
A client with plantar fasciitis tried everything to resolve it. We stretched, rolled, and strengthened to no avail. Then I thought maybe the problem was th brain wasn’t getting enough sensory input from the effected foot? Was the brain’s inability to see the foot clearly a threat bucket stressor. We placed a single piece of KT tape over the affected heel to heighten the sensory signal. The pain left instantly; never to return. Similarly, the same client experienced recurring left shoulder discomfort. Again we stretched, rolled out, and strengthened the shoulder until finally it dawned on me to try the KT tape again. The KT tape on the skin heightened the signal from shoulder to brain; the pain receded straightaway (and he’s subsequently annihilated his bench PR).
How then do we turn the spigot on your bucket? Stop thinking pain is synonymous with tissue damage; it can be related to other stressors, as shown above. You’ll see how your shoulder tends to hurt when things go sideways at work; or your migraines are synonymous with the Holidays, or pain come from sensory deficits, or visual problems. Look at your past. What changes can you make to drain that bucket? What worked before? Was it working out; sleeping more; meditating; kt tape; laughter; or stabbing a kewpie doll that looks like your boss.
Whatever turns that spigot, Baby. Let it go.