Pain is so much more than ‘It hurts’

When we think of pain we think ‘Ouch’. We think ‘uncomfortable’, ‘irritating’, ‘frustrating’, ‘annoying’ and ‘unpleasant’. I have started to understand that pain is so much more than that. Pain is being unable to do the gardening. It is feeling worried about being invited out for dinner as it will involve sitting for a long time. It is being unable to play the sports that you love. It is having your sleep disturbed. It is affecting your work. It means that small household tasks that other people take for granted are not easy or possible. It means brushing your hair or tying your shoes becomes difficult.
Pain is getting tired of explaining that just because you look OK doesn’t mean that you can lift a heavy box. It is worrying that you will never feel better, or that you may even get worse. It makes you feel tired and old. Pain sets you apart from other people and makes you feel vulnerable. It affects your mood and your emotions.

Pain is so much more than ‘It hurts’.

One of the pillars of Amatsu philosophy is the Godai or ‘Big Five’. These factors help me as a practitioner, to realise how important it is that I help my clients to look at all aspects of their lives, not simply the pain that they come to me with.

The first of the five is the physical aspect – the area I am most associated with! This includes balance (or otherwise) of the muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints, bones, organs and connective tissue. Imbalance here will lead to stiffness, discomfort, tightness or pain.

The second is emotional. If you are feeling low, depressed, anxious or afraid, you will not be able to express your health fully. Your mood may be affected by feelings in your body and vice versa. For example, if you are often stressed, you are likely to feel muscular tightness, discomfort in your jaw and stiff neck or back.

The third is chemical. This can be the food you eat, what you drink, if you take medication or drugs etc. Again, what we consume affects our body and emotions. If you over-indulge in sugar for example, you may get headaches and feel tiredness, lethargy and low mood.

The fourth is electrical. An example of this would be imbalances in your body that can cause electrical nerve pain or the impact that you might feel from being in front of a screen for too long such as poor posture, headaches, eye strain and tension.

The last is environmental and this has a huge impact on our well-being. What kind of work do you do? What are your hobbies? How do you sleep? Do you feel loved and supported? Any, or a combination of these, will affect how your body, mind and emotions feel.

So you can see that although pain is the key reason why most people come to see me, I understand that it is not as simple as that for you, or any of my clients.

I am currently conducting research to help me to understand, even more, the reality for people who live with pain. This involves a 30 minute confidential phone conversation so that I can find out how your pain is impacting on your life. In exchange for your time, I would like to offer you a free 30 minute Amatsu taster session so that you can experience this wonderful holistic treatment first hand.
Please email me on lorna@lornaclansey.com with Research in the title, no other information needed, and I will be in touch to arrange a mutually convenient time to speak.