Sometimes when feeling particularly depressed, I’ll have a moment where I actually get a physical sensation starting somewhere in the upper chest and traveling down my torso. It’s a hard sensation to describe, but it seems to be felt mostly near the heart.
Is there a name for this? I’d like to find out what the physiological causes of this are, but it’s hard to search for since I lack a good description or a name.
Heartache?
I believe that you are actually talking about emotions. In my view, emotions are those ideas, thoughts, or feelings - take your pick - that are accompanied by physiologically detectable sensations. I think there is plenty of evidence to support this definition. For one thing, there are studies in which people are asked to move their facial muscles in such a way that they wind up, unbeknownst to themselves, in smiles or frowns or sad faces. They are then asked questions that indicate their level of contentedness, etc. When made to smile, people feel happier. When made to make sad faces, they report more sadness, etc. This indicates to me the connection between emotion and physiological status. Conversely, there are no doubt hormonal and neurochemical changes that occur during times of sadness or happiness that affect the body - even to the extent that we can report experiencing something internal. I don’t think it’s any accident - or rather - I think it’s very revealing that we say we “feel” sad. Or happy. Or whatever. What we are feeling are the effects of these chemicals on our bodies. There’s no way that you could feel that sad feeling in your body and say that you feel happy. The physical condition of our bodies reflects our mental activity, even if subconscious, I believe. Have you ever “felt sad” and didn’t know why? And then, upon reflection, you realized the source of your sadness? To me it’s pretty clear. Whether science has caught up with my own theorizing will have to wait until some more well-read doper weighs in. xo, C.
I think I’m doing a poor job at describing what I’m talking about. What I’m trying to describe is a short-term feeling, no longer than a second, that seems to pass through me. My guess is that it’s hormonally/chemically triggered by a moment of heightened emotion.
This is a metaphorical word, but would ‘starburst’ come close to describing it?
I don’t think it’s really intense enough that I’d call it a starburst. It is fairly strong; however, and then disperses, so maybe.
I feel it as kind of a gulping, achy fullness in the throat. 
Well if it’s what I’ve had, a “starburst” or burning sensation located around the inside lower edges of your rib cage, sometimes moving lower into the intestine where it makes a pit of the stomach feeling, then that’s suppressed emotion. Anxiety or depression may have or may about to be knocking on your door. Have you had previous depressive episode. . . easily brought to tears by music or been elated by seeing a ‘work of art’, or a painting? The good part is, if this is you, is that all you need to do is talk it out. That’s the easiest way. You can write it out, or wait till it forces it way out in a form you are familiar with; music, painting, writing, dance, whatever, but talking is definately superior and faster. If you don’t go looking now, it will build up and eruptions are unpredictable, even if they can be pleasurable at the same time. If you don’t know where to start looking for what is ‘up’, examine the thoughts and scenes in your mind as you drift off to sleep or when you’re relaxed and see how the theme of those thoughts or scenes corresponds to your feelings and overall mood.
gulpy aching is associated with anxiety. Same deal.
I’ve felt something similar only in two situations in my life. Both times had to do with mourning a loss. It was very physical and emotional at the same time and made me bend over and cry out.
Something similar happens to me when I’m feeling super depressed. After having the problem for awhile I finally went to the doctor for it and he said it was Costochondritis.
Of course, mine lasts for hours (sometimes days), but I found taking an aspirin helps relieve it.
What causes the pain in my inner wrists, during a wave of depression? Nobody I know has felt it, and it only comes when I feel at my worst. Sometimes the pain makes me bend over and cry as well.