How Physical and Emotional Pain Overlap

"Both kinds of pain are processed in the brain, using overlapping, though not identical, structures. There is also a surprisingly significant amount of overlap in how we medicate them. Our biology does not strongly distinguish between physical and emotional pain, and neither should we. Understanding their shared function and overlap gives us important insights into treatment, which is vital given just how painful pain can be."

"Pain, whether physical or emotional, is a bodily signal that helps us survive and live well. It alerts us to potential threats. Sometimes that signal is helpful and adaptive: When we're injured, pain forces us to protect the wound; emotional pain alerts us to areas needing attention. Anger may call out injustice, anxiety may warn us of a threat, and guilt may highlight a misstep. Listening to these signals helps us live with greater intention."

Physical and emotional pain use overlapping brain circuitry and share biological mechanisms and treatment options. Pain functions as a survival signal that alerts to injury or threats, prompting protective behavior and attention to problems. Emotional pain such as anger, anxiety, or guilt signals injustice, threat, or missteps and motivates corrective action. The brain's threat-detection system favors sensitivity, producing false-positive pain signals rather than missing real danger. Chronic pain arises when pain persists without tissue damage, with anticipatory fear and neural overprotection amplifying pain representation in the brain. Conditioning can make emotional pain persist and alter brain activity and structure, complicating recovery and treatment.

Read at Psychology Today