Freedom from Pain: Discover Your Body's Power to Overcome Physical Pain by Peter A. Levine

Author:Peter A. Levine [Levine, Peter A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Counseling, Self-Help & Personal Growth
ISBN: 9781604077544
Publisher: Sounds True
Published: 2012-09-15T07:00:00+00:00

Vince: A Frozen Shoulder

Vince’s symptoms had begun a few months before our appointment. He was working in his garage and picked up a starter motor to put into his car. As he lifted it, he felt “a twinge of something in his arm.” The next day his shoulder felt tight and sore. Over time, the pain became more acute and his range of motion progressively worsened, becoming chronic.

Vince’s story is surprisingly common: when the amount of pain isn’t congruent with the circumstances of a minor accident, we then begin to explore a possible trauma-related reason behind it.

Not surprisingly, Vince attributed his shoulder “strain” to working on his car. This is somewhat like the person who reaches down and picks up a piece of paper, only to have their back go into spasm. Common sense, and the clinical observation of most chiropractors, physical therapists, and massage therapists, dictates that this was already “back primed”—an accident waiting to happen. In Vince’s case, since there was no apparent physical injury, his physical therapist referred him to me in the hope of avoiding more difficult procedures.

Vince was obviously confused about seeing a “mind doctor,” and was reluctant to engage with me. Sensing this, I reassured him that I would not be asking him personal questions, but would just focus on helping him get rid of his symptoms. “Yeah,” he said, “my body sure is broke.” I asked him to show me how far he could move his arm before it started to hurt. He moved it a few inches and then looked up at me: “That’s about it.” “OK, now I want you to move it the same way, but much slower, like this.” I showed him with my arm. “Huh,” he replied as he glanced at his arm. He was clearly surprised that he could move it a few inches further without the pain. “Even slower, this time, Vince. Let’s see what happens this time … I want you to really give it your full attention; focus your mind on your arm now.” Moving slowly allowed him a greater awareness of his arm. Just moving it quickly, without mindfulness, would have been likely to recreate the protective holding pattern, causing more pain.

His hand began to tremble and Vince looked to me for reassurance. “Yes, Vince, just let that happen … it’s a good thing … it’s your muscles starting to let go. Try to keep your mind focused there, with your arm and with the trembling … just let your arm move the way it wants to.” The trembling went on for a while and then stopped; his forehead broke out in sweat.

As he moved to the edge of the bracing pattern, some of the energy held in his muscular-defense pattern began to release. This included the involuntary, autonomic nervous system reactions, such as shaking, trembling, sweating, and temperature changes. Because these are sub-cortical actions, the person does not have a feeling of control over his or her reactions. This may be quite unsettling at first.

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