Pain is in the brain.

[Blind groper]

http://www.amazon.com/The-Explain-Pain- ... 0975091093

The book referenced above covers a hypothesis for pain. This is especially relevant to those who have chronic pain, such as lower back pain.

The authors do not believe that pain necessarily correlates with injury. Especially back pain. In fact, it appears that signs of back injury, such as bulging discs, are extremely common among people who experience no back pain at all.

They describe the pain signals passing up nerves to the brain as being more danger signals than pain signals. Obviously an injury represents danger. The signals are processed by the brain, and perceived in various ways, from no pain at all to excruciating pain. However, the brain is often the arbiter of which way it is perceived, rather than the nature of the injury.

We had a case here in NZ, where a rugby player (Colin Meads in 1970) playing a international test match, suffered a broken arm, and completed the game while apparently feeling almost no pain. Yet there are other people with chronic pain that is utterly debilitating, who show next to no signs of physical damage at all.

This is not a suggestion that such pain is imaginary. Far from it. The pain is very real. However, the pain is generated by the brain rather than by the injury, and suggested treatment should be directed at human psychology in those cases. Personally, I do not know how true or untrue such ideas are, but the authors certainly believe it.

There are also lots of cases on record of people with terrible pain being 'cured' by something such as finding someone to love.

Do any of you suffer pain that might not be related to an existing injury? Or have an experience that suggests a cure for pain that is not related to any injury?

[mistermack]

It happens all the time.
In Lourdes.

Mysterious pains ''cured'' by spring-water.

You'd be amazed how many people get mysterious pains BEFORE a trip to Lourdes. And then get miraculously ''cured''.

Nothing to do with planning your own miracle. Nothing at all.