subject: Mental And Emotional Pain [print this page] Mental and emotional pain are often depicted as originating in the head and the heart; the head as the source of mental pain, and the heart as the seat of emotional pain. But this is only partly true, because mental and emotional pain are not physical pain in the sense the word is normally used: neither is limited to just one organ, and each can affect various other organs in the body.
Mental and emotional pain (psychological pain) is what most people know as depression, an allencompassing description that can cover anything from feeling "blue," perhaps because the weather is cold, to such extreme mental and emotional agony from bereavement, redundancy, or a broken relationship, for example that its victims can feel suicidal. But depression can have a physical cause as well as a psychological one vitamin and mineral deficiency, for example, can be to blame and the interrelationship between the physical and the psychological is both complex and crucial in under standing, and so being able to treat, the problem. Moreover, mental and emotional pain, though closely inter linked, have their own special pain "subsets" and each of these can have a physical cause as well as a psychological one. Nightmares, fears and phobias are examples of pain that tends to be more psychological than physical, while conditions such as manic depression and various psychoses (paranoia and schizophrenia) are more likely to have a physical cause. By comparison, dealing with a sprained ankle is a walk in the park!
Clearly, because of this, there are conditions that are not really suitable for self-help and so are not included in this book. Manic depression and psychotic illnesses, such as paranoia, autism, and schizophrenia, are excluded. Serious psychological pain (doctors tend to use the word "disturbance" or "disorder" rather than pain) is the exception rather than the rule, however, and the majority of psychological pain can be effectively treated at home, or with a little help. Even phobias, obsessions, and addictions (to food, sex, drugs, alcohol and so on) though serious, are open to the possibility of self help following initial treatment by specialist practitioners.
Not surprisingly, effective therapies include both physical and psychological ones. The following therapies have a good record in the treatment of most forms of mental and emotional pain, from general "blues" and anxiety to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and postnatal depression.
Psychological therapies
Self-help : Meditation, visualization, self-hypnosis, biofeedback Self-help with trained guidance creative arts therapies (music, art, dance, drama). From a qualified therapist only Counseling, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy.
Physical therapies : Self-help Massage, aromatherapy, reflexology. Self-help with trained guidance Nutritional and dietary therapy, herbal medicine, movement therapies (yoga, tai chi, Alexander technique), light and color therapy, hydrotherapy From a qualified therapist only Cranial osteopathy.
Identifying Pain
An important factor in successful self-help is identifying the cause of your particular type of pain. Often the cause is obvious or known to you already, butknowing exactly what is behind your problem or even more or less knowing is the first step toward successful treatment. Problems arise when the cause is a complete mystery, because, clearly, if the cause is unknown, effective treatment is extremely difficult, if not impossible. If you know why or how badly, try the self-assessment questionnaire on the following page, "How depressed are you?" It will help you to get the most from this section. If you are still no wiser about your problem after completing the questionnaire, the help of a trained specialist is advisable.
