Stress, Pain, and Self Judgement and How it Sentences Your System in Hillsboro OR
"Why did I do that to myself? Why did I say that? How could I everything things would be any different? That was bad. That means I'm bad. I have only ever been bad and bad things will continue happening to me."
We can cycle into a never ending abuse pattern from the smallest thing. Everyone does it to some degree. Most of us are never taught even a single suggestions for how to break that personal cycle. And yet, churches, self-help gurus, and counselors have often dedicated their entire establishment to untying these unhealthy mental loops from reality.
How To Relieve Stress, Pain, and Self Judgement in Hillsboro OR
If the problem stayed in our heads, that might not be too much to bear. But the mental anguish we feel usually bleeds over into our physical status in terms of pain, posture, and habits. Simply addressing a couple of repeated stories that we tell ourselves each morning can transform how we live out the day, how we interact with our coworkers, friends, and family, as well as how much sleep we get the following night.
Often times in my office, we will be working on extremely tight neck muscles or locked up joints and the patient will burst into tears. That's when they finally bring up the divorce they're going through, a parent they lost, or the friend who betrayed them. A friend of mine once called that a "sympathetic dump," where the nervous system is allowed to decompress and finally let go of some of the psychological baggage the body has been carrying around. I have been receiving massage and felt specific, long forgotten memories pop up, with pressure to trigger points I didn't know I had.
The worst cases are when the mental provokes the physical, or vice versa, and then you get into a positive feedback loop of mental disturbance causing physical disturbance and physical disturbance causing mental disturbance. This often spirals into years of chronic pain, disability, dependence on drugs, and even an entire change of personality. Worst case scenario, resulting in suicide. Sadly, this happens more than any of us know and could start the downward spiral for a loving family member or friend.
Musculoskeletal pain should definitely motivate us to seek experienced chiropractic care, but both patient and physician must be acutely aware of the effect mental/emotional problems have on the body. With regard to breaking the mental/physical cycle, earlier is always better. If you think this may be the case for you or a loved one, please reach out to the clinic for a consultation and possibly a referral to one of our trusted mental health allies. If the trauma you sustained was a car accident, no referral is needed.
We are looking forward to serving you