Blog
Nov 07
Good Pain - Bad Pain
Let’s talk about pain… “You can hurt me, I can take it.” I’ve heard this more than once from clients seeking a deep tissue therapy session. Perhaps you’ve even said these words yourself believing in the popular notion of ‘No pain, no gain’ But should it hurt to be effective? Have you ever stopped to wonder if inflicting pain on yourself is good for you? In the earliest days of my career, I asked everyone I knew about their relationship to pain, exertion, and a strong sensation brought on by vigorous exercise from sports, deep tissue bodywork or even sex. The dozens of answers ranged from “I’ll do just about anything to avoid pain” to “I actually asked my massage therapist to punch me” to help alleviate emotional pain brought on by physical abuse. I’m no psychotherapist, but my small survey of peeps showed me that some of us are drawn to strong sensations while others run from it. It has something to do with how our own body and mind interact with each other…how we’re wired. Why? Could it be that we are all confused by our experience of pain? Could my threshold for pain be someone else’s entryway towards pleasure? Is there such a thing as ‘good pain’ and ‘bad pain’? Find out more in the next blog posting….