# Embrace pain or distract yourself from it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 19, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embrace-pain-or-distract-yourself-from-it/610013 "2012-01-19T14:59:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embrace-pain-or-distract-yourself-from-it/610013/21 "2012-01-20T06:52:10Z")
I’ve found that reacting to pain, resisting it, makes it worse. Tensing up makes it more (sharper) than it has to be. With acute pain I try to “open” myself up to it (anybody read any Carlos Castanada?) Allowing it to “pass thru me” takes away the sting. Chronic pain, like childbirth (which feels like it lasts at least a year or so) or slow recovery that’s not going good…I immerse myself in it. I swim into it and still experience it as a sensation but it doesn’t necessarily hurt. I recognize it as a deep heavy note or color but I can “deal” for as long as it takes. Then again, morphine is _good._ ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embrace-pain-or-distract-yourself-from-it/610013/22 "2012-01-20T12:40:14Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > I recall Daniel C. Dennet talking about this; he mentioned being able to get partially through a dental procedure without anesthetic by concentrating on the pain; as I understand it, focusing on pain is an old method of blocking it. The theory he used to explain how it works is related to the fact that humans have two systems of pain nerves; an old one that produces the vague, imprecise sensation that _hurts_\*, and another newer one that pinpoints the injury\*\* but _doesn’t_ hurt; since they normally operate in tandem we don’t notice that they are actually two sensations. Supposedly concentrating enough on the details of a pain causes the “precise” sensations to crowd out the “hurts” sensations, as long as you can keep up sufficient concentration. I’ve tried it myself and it seems to help, although that could just be placebo effect naturally. > > - Which is why a small injury is generally surrounded by a large sensation of pain; that older pain network has low resolution. > > \*\* Ever stubbed your toe or stepped on a nail, realized you are hurt, _then_ a second or so later you feel pain? That’s the two systems in action; the older system that “hurts” uses slow “c-fibers”; it takes a second or so for the pain signal to travel from your foot to your brain. The more precise pain network is a more recent evolutionary development, and transmits much faster. Interesting. I have noticed that identifying the pain does make things better, but I always just assumed it was because, once I’ve identified the pain, I know I’ve had it before, and I know it went away before. The pain feels worse when I’m worried it might actually be something bad. I honestly always thought it was my OCD. Plus, once I’ve gotten some relief from identifying the pain, I tend to then be able to ignore it. It’s not something I constantly do. Because, again, constantly thinking about how I’m in pain makes me feel worse. I just thought of one thing I did when I was last at the dentist and in pain, but it’s a little shameful. I concentrated on how mean the dentist was. I actually allowed myself to get somewhat angry, which helped take away the pain. But now that my temper is a lot worse than it used to be, I fear trying that again. I mean, I really am still a bit mad that every dentist who accepts my insurance also seems to not care if I tell them that they didn’t get me numb. It’s like they are in a hurry due to being one of the few that accepts Medicaid and thus having more patients who pay less. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embrace-pain-or-distract-yourself-from-it/610013/23 "2012-01-22T03:11:58Z")
Both… A needle stick is short term so you can focus on something else for a minute. A toothache at 3am Sunday Morning is gonna be around a little while, so better off Embracing it with a few shots of bourbon and wait it out. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embrace-pain-or-distract-yourself-from-it/610013/24 "2012-01-22T03:25:19Z")
When I was told I needed a filling at my last check up, the dentist asked if I wanted to try it without numbing. I said sure (I dunno why, I’m not crazy about pain). Anyway, I certainly felt the pain, but I was glad afterwards that I had done it. How did I cope? I literally pretended I was Jack Bauer being tortured for info. Worked like a charm. mmm ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embrace-pain-or-distract-yourself-from-it/610013/25 "2012-01-22T03:53:52Z")
I’ve always kind of pretended that the pain was an entity in itself, because sometimes it feels like that, and imagined sending it out elsewhere, often to something else living, like a plant. Focus on the pain, see it as waves, see the waves coming out, send them away to somewhere else they’d be anchored. Christ, that sounds like some hippy mantra. 😃 But it actually works for me. It actually kinda sounds like what Der Trihs was talking about; focusing on the pain and treating it as discreet. I don’t actually feel much pain from dentistry or bone breaks and the like. I wouldn’t say that I have a high tolerance for pain, but that maybe some of my pain receptors are not working properly (I don’t feel the pain to need to tolerate it). Hell, I’ve had a toenail torn off by a high heel and felt not the slightest pain. I’ve self-stitched a deep gash on the back of my hand. Nagging pain I can feel (and will complain about it), but pain from injuries? Not in the slightest. I wonder if there’s a physical reason for this - not adrenalin, because there was nothing to get the adrenalin up - but something about how the brain and body respond to different types of pain. Childbirth was bad partly because they kept asking me how much pain I was in and partly because I ended up, through exertion in a very long labour, with little eyesight (contact lenses wouldn’t stay in place, glasses fell off) and little hearing (blocked ears) in an almost-empty white room. So there was just me and this continual pain that everyone asked about all the time. But for, say, nagging back pain, the cactus gets it. ---
**Author:** ![slowlearner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@slowlearner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slowlearner)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embrace-pain-or-distract-yourself-from-it/610013/26 "2012-01-23T03:53:25Z")
i have frequent TBI migraines, sometimes i sit and meditate and just feel every bit of the pain, or if i have a busy day at work coming i’ll slam a cup of coffee and a couple excederin migraine and go back to sleep. pain’s just god’s way of getting our attention, but i agree with joseph heller that a blinking light on the forehead would’ve been a much better idea, what i would call intelligent design… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/embrace-pain-or-distract-yourself-from-it/610013.md?page=1)