Pain Anatomy 101: How Pain Works, And How Your Subconscious May Be Able to Short-Circuit It

In building a strategy for pain relief it may be helpful to understand how pain works. Here's a quick primer to help you grasp the mechanics, and show you the points where your subconscious may be able to intervene to relieve your pain.

Science doesn't fully understand how pain signals are generated in the periphery of the body and transmitted to the brain. But it knows the major mechanisms well enough to be able to identify a number of weak points where the signals could be reduced or interrupted. These can be referred to as pain leverage points.

Here's a recap of our understanding of the process based on publicly available information. It's a great oversimplification, and may not occur in all cases. But it gives you a general idea of what's happening.

This mechanism seems to be operating in back pain or pain in other extremities, arthritis pain, fibromyalgia pain, or neuropathic pain (nerve pain).

Please note that we are not medical professionals and do not provide medical or health care advice. For medical advice, please see your physician.

Note also that the material in this article is provided to help you understand the details of the pain process and how you can attempt to relieve pain by using your subconscious. But this information is optional