Pain in the Brain

Where is pain felt?  Where is it registered?  Where is it really experienced?  Pain seems to be experienced solely in the spot where it was inflicted.  We burn our finger, we feel pain in our finger.  I believe there is enough scientific “knowledge” out there to indicate that when pain is triggered in an area, the signal is sent through nerves to the brain, it is registered in the brain and a reactionary message is sent back through the same nerve system to the triggered area.  That would explain why, in simpler terms, a child does not notice the pain of a scratched knee while they are still playing; however, once they notice the injury, or someone points it out for them, the child feels the immense pain, begins to wail uncontrollably until they receive a bandage and a kiss.  It may also explain why a guy (such as myself) doing a chore from the “honey-do” list doesn’t notice the scratch on his hand until his darling wife draws attention to it; however, once he notice the injury, the guy feels the immense pain, wails uncontrollably until he receives a bandage and a kiss.  The brain was previously occupied by something more important to register the pain of the injury.  It was there, but the concentration of the involved act was more intense than the pain signal.  It wasn’t until other systems became involved that the brain had to notice.  The visual input (seeing the scratch), the emotional input (the reaction of others), the change in focus (the activity being stopped), all play an important role in noticing the pain.  With chronic pain, there is also the mental anguish; the emotional suffering (feelings of helplessness, the worry that it will never end, etc), the lack of sleep, the decreased physical energy that makes up  vast majority of the pain experience.

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