Next, a Toronto-based company doing some amazing work on relationships and neuroplacitity has just launched an online community for people looking to improve their relationships and better train themselves to be better partners. Breakups are a heartbreaking, challenging, emotionally devastating and painful time. I think anyone who has ever gone through a break up with somebody special knows what the pain feels like. It’s real. And while heartbreak may seem off topic, heartbreak and some forms of chronic pain are both in the brain, and with time and effort, can be overcome.
My broken heart prompted me to read this post on MyNextCommunity.com, I read it several times with great interest. There’s now proof that heartbreak and emotional devastation, like some other forms of pain, is mental and not physical. The article points to a recent finding published by Albert College, showing the brain processes emotional pain in the same way that it does physical pain. The post cited another blog, who very accurately painted heartbreak with the same brush one could describe a lot of people suffering from chronic pain:
People report feeling as if they have been kicked in the stomach or blindsided and knocked down. Feelings of rejection and self-doubt are common, as is the feeling of being stuck and unable to let go, even when one wants to. Friends and family may push the person to get over it and move on, yet brain research suggests this can be very difficult to do, at least in the first few months.
The MyNextCommunity.com blog suggests some hope for people suffering from chronic pain that may not still have anything physically wrong with them. The answer: a new routine, new ways of thinking, and new habits:
…long-term research shows that over time, feelings of despair minimize and cravings for a former partner decrease. Distraction yourself and avoiding situations that remind you of your ex form new habits to replace your old ones.
Will this work for everyone with chronic pain? The only real answer is that it can’t hurt. There is an increasing body of evidence showing that (a) it is possible to re-train the brain and (b) that one can re-train themselves to feel less pain over time. The science and preliminary results are VERY promising.