“Pain just appeared from nowhere” My client said as she sat across from me in the clinic.
She looked exhausted. Not just tired…but worn down. The kind of tired that sits behind the eyes and doesn’t lift with sleep.
The pain came on suddenly – sharp and intense – right at the back of the head. It was affecting her vision. It was affecting her sleep, her ability to go to work and do the things she wanted to do each day.
And no one had answers.
The GP’s didn’t know what caused it. She was given strong painkillers (numbs our pain and numbs our connection to the body). They sent her for a CT scan and booked for an injection that left my client with a horrible experience.
But even after the treatment it left her feeling more overwhelmed.
And the pain? Still there.
I was aware of her recent and unexpected passing of her dad. I knew she has been busy with processing the loss and handling the grief, as well as funeral planning, cleaning out the family home and dealing with family drama. Emotions to hold – her own and everyone else’s.
She felt burnout and exhausted. Carrying such heaviness on her shoulders and in her body – more then the body can hold.
She kept going since the funeral. Because that’s what we do, but underneath it all her system was under immense pressure.
So rarely a pain appears from nowhere – there is always a connected piece.
What is behind our pain?
When we move through stress, grief or tauma, it doesnt just live in our thoughts. It lives in the body.
Our nervous system moves in to a state of protection. Our capacity gets stretched. Slowly and subtly … the body starts to tighten, brace and hold. At a certain point, it reaches a threshold.
In my client’s case, the pain was a signal and it hyper – sensitised the head and this is why painkillers don’t make an impact.
When we began to work together, we didn’t try to fix the pain.
We listened.
We slowed things down.
We supported the nervous system to feel safe again.
To release what it has been holding.
And gradually her system began to soften. I also incorporated intuitive massage techniques in the session, to release the tension stored in the jaw, neck and shoulders.
During Craniosacral holds, I could pick up on a directional pulling pattern across the head, like a spear was going right though if I had to describe it. Created awareness and acknowledgment – holding space for the pattern and allowing it to shift as it pleases.
Feedback from this client was that after the session and intergration she no longer experienced any pain in her head. She felt she was able to sleep and go about her day without pain. No longer in pain!
I wanted to share this client’s story – with her permission, to showcase the relationship between the nervous system and pain experienced in the body. How managing your stress response and building your capacity will do far more for you in the long term then painkillers. Pain in the body is crippling and I have seen over the last 18 years, it can be soul destroying. Pain grinds you down – mentally and physically.
If you want to talk to me about your pain and if my somatic approach can support you, I invite you, to book in a free 10 minute chat. https://rangeviewmassage.as.me/chat
