What is Pain? Definition Essay- Chicago 2
Have you ever felt pain? It is something that is either physically,
emotionally, or pyschologically wrong. We feel pain in a variety of
different ways. Pain sometimes cannot be described because it is very
difficult to explain. Pain is a feeling triggered in the nervous
system. We experience pain when we are having a problem, whether that
be inside our hearts, our minds, or our bodies. Pain can also be
helpful when notifying us of danger. The majority of people have
encountered some sort of pain in their lifetime, for it is almost
impossible to have not. Pain can be anything that causes suffering or
sorrow and mostly everyone has been through it.
Physical
pain can be considered one of the most agonizing types. All kinds of
accidents occur year round that cause severe pain. Accidents ranging
anywhere from car crashes and fire burns to shootings and stabbings,
which are among those with greatest pain experienced. But many other
events such as child labor, heart attacks, and arthritis occur
naturally and are also very painful. According to Don Ranney, we
define this physical pain as injuries, aches, sores, and wounds that
are accompanied with severe discomfort, anguish, and misery. Often time
this pain hurts so badly that people are hospitalized because their
bodies cannot handle it and they begin to shut down (Ranney 2007). Millions
of people die every year from the acts that underly physical pain. Some
cannot control the pain that they suffer, and some cannot endure it.
And out of those who do endure and survive, it may leave them with
contorted limbs, deep scars, and horrifying memories. Indeed physical
pain is probably one of the worst experiences to withstand.
There
is another type of terrible pain that is often experienced daily. It is
emotional pain. Emotional pain is one that is suffered through the
heart and souls. We feel it inside ourselves and it is an overwhelming
sense of depression and sadness. This kind of pain is caused by hurtful
acts of love, deaths, stress, struggles with self-worth, hopelessness,
and much more. Although it is entirely different from physical pain,
they sometimes go hand in hand. Many feel physical pain along with
emotional pain because the two bring out each other. The website Medline Plus explains that when
one person feels lost or down because of a reason known to them, they
also may feel their bodies are tired, sore, and weak. They can also
have painful thoughts and feelings of giving up (Medline Plus).
Emotional sufferers often begin to not care about themselves and can
lose control. Emotional pain is a traumatic endearment, yet we all have
experienced it in some way or the other.
Finally, psychological pain
is a rare but perplexing type of occurrence. It can also be called
Psychalgia. It occurs usually after much emotional or physical pain is
suffered through. When understanding psychological pain we think about
the mind and spirit. Emotional pain may be related in some ways to it
as well because it has to do with emotions. On its website, Pyschological Aspects of Pain claims that we know when a person is mentally enduring psychological pain because he has had dark experiences in his lifetime. (Bud Lateef 2008). It also has to do with the subconscious mind. The
website Cure Back Pain tells how these syndromes are defense mechanisms
trying to hide sensitive or unresolved issues. It is a process called
repression. The syndromes preoccupy the personal thoughts of the individual (Cure Back Pain). The
subconscious mind is very smart and can create unrealistic
abnormalities as distractions to the problem. If the subconscious mind
sees a physical or emotional weakness, that aspect will be convincing
enough to cause a defect. All three of these types of pain are seen
regularly in the world but often go about unnoticed. They all relate to
the other and have characteristics which remain a part of the person
for the rest of their life.
Reference List 1. Bud Lateef, M. 2008. Pyschological Aspects of Pain. Your Total Health: 1-7. http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/psychological-aspects-pain.html (accessed Jan. 2, 2009) 2. Ranney, D. 2007. Pain is a subjective experience. Personal Webpage. http://www.ahs.uwaterloo.ca/~ranney/pain.html (accessed Jan. 2, 2009)
3. Pain. Medline Plus, 2008. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/pain.html
4. Psychologically Induced Pain Syndromes. Cure Back Pain, 2006. http://www.cure-back-pain.org/psychologically-induced-pain-syndromes.html
5. Pain, What is It? Hospice, 2005. http://www.hospicenet.org/html/what_is_pain.html
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