Freedom From Pain (Psychology of Pain)

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It is clear that no one can pinpoint where the physiology of pain ends and the psychology of pain begins.That takes us into a field in which even modern medicine is still groping. Much of the treatment in this field follows trial-and-error methods. How we sense the physiological element in pain was comparatively easy to speculate and confirm by research.

The pain message, as we saw, originates at the point of contact of the stubbed toe and the hard surface. But what about the pain we feel when insulted or betrayed or deserted? What about the pain when a dear one passes away or when a feared one knocks at our door? Where does this pain originate? Does it also follow the same route as the pain resulting from a stubbed toe? Modern medicine has no satisfactory answers yet to these questions.

Research has, however, shown beyond doubt that the physiological and the psychological elements in chronic pain are interrelated. What pain signifies to an individual makes a big difference in how it is perceived. For instance, fear, anxiety, stress, and the expectation of disaster can make pain seem much worse than it actually is. Sometimes the pain 'continues' because the patient has something material or psychological to gain from suffering.

Studies have shown that individuals with a pending lawsuit seeking compensation for injuries rarely get better until the suit is settled. Pain may sometimes make a mysterious appearance when someone wants to avoid certain obligations or duties. In one seminary, where every member was expected to serve at the refectory by turns, a few of the novices invariably developed backaches when their turn to serve came. They were not feigning. The pain was real. But when they were exempted from the refectory-duty the pain disappeared as mysteriously as it had appeared!

On the other hand, cases are known where individuals fired with powerful motivation to get well seldom 'feel' pain even while experiencing the physiological impulses of pain. Researchers have discovered that people with low motivation, poor self-image, lack of pride in accomplishments, and those who are perpetually dependent on others are more susceptible to chronic pain. All this goes to show the decisive role the mind plays in the problems connected with pain.

But it would be a big mistake to think that pain is always psychological. No, it is not. To distinguish between physiological pain and psychological pain is not always easy. If the patient is lucky to fall in the hands of a doctor who diagnoses his pain-problem correctly, there may not be much trouble. Else, the patient is likely to find himself on a medical merry go round: psychiatrists would tell him his problem is physical and physicians would tell him to go have his head examined. Dejected, the patient may turn to some exotic remedies like herbal treatments, chiropractic and faith healing. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.

Physical therapies including exercise, whirlpool and massage have been helpful in relieving pain. Even hypnosis and biofeedback have proved useful. Surgery has helped in some cases, so also has music-therapy. Different methods of relieving pain are being tried all over the world in recent years. Why a particular method should work in one case but remain ineffective in another still remains a mystery.
Pain-researchers realize that ultimately man will have to look to his own innate mental power to relieve suffering. Dr. John Bonica, founder of the International Association for the Study of Pain and a world-renowned leader in pain-research, says: 'I don't think it takes too much scientific licence to say that we will discover mental activities that can produce specific analgesia. In 10 or 15 years, perhaps we can begin to teach people to control their own pain.'

What sort of 'mental activities' Bonica has in mind is not clear. But he is reported to have referred to 'a form of self-hypnosis' long used in India to conquer pain. In spite of Bonica's topsy-turvy understanding, it is easy for us to know that he was referring to Vedanta.

Well, Vedanta is as much 'a form of self-hypnosis' as light is a form of darkness! The truth is that Vedanta is the royal method of dehypnotizing ourselves. Make no mistake about it. We are already hypnotized. In fact, we experience pain for no other reason than that we are hypnotized. When we succeed in dehypnotizing ourselves, pain automatically vanishes.

About the author

Swami Tyagananda

Swami Tyagananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order and presently head of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society in Boston.