Repression: Has The Brains Ability To Repress Pain Led To The View That It’s ‘All About The Mind’?

If someone has problems with their ‘mental health’ and they were to reach out for support, there is a strong chance that what is taking place in their mind will be the area of focus. Therefore, their thoughts, beliefs and even behaviour are likely to come under the microscope.

It could be said that this will be the obvious area to focus on as it will be their mind that is causing them problems, after all. When it comes to what is going on for them that is making it hard for them to handle life, it could be that they are experiencing a lot of fear and anxiety.

The Solution

To change what is going on, then, they could end up being asked to look into what thoughts they usually have. This is likely to be a time when they will find that they have a number of ‘negative’ thoughts.

The next step can be for them to observe these ‘negative’ thoughts and to begin replacing them with ‘positive’ thoughts. After putting this into practice for a little while, they may find that their life gradually starts to change.

Another outcome

However, it might not be long until this approach no longer works, and there is also the chance that it won’t even work. At this point, they might be encouraged to keep going and not give up.

But, if they live in a society that is mind-centred and this area of them is seen as the key area when it comes to having good ‘mental health’, this is to be expected. The alternative to this can be seen as them continuing to suffer and perhaps going on medication.

Another Angle

Now, although this view is so widespread and is largely seen as the truth, what if it is nothing more than a half-truth? What if the only reason that this part of their being has the level of importance that it has, when it comes to ‘mental health’, is because of their brain’s ability to repress pain?

This would mean that as important as this part of them is, it is not as important or as powerful as it is made out to be. What gives this part of them the illusion of being so important and powerful is what their brain does to stop their mind from being overwhelmed with pain.

An Automatic Process

Different parts of their brain will automatically remove pain from their conscious awareness in order to allow them to keep it together and function. This is something that will have taken place from the moment they were born.

But, as this will take place so quickly and effortlessly, it is not going to be something that they will be aware of. Thanks to this, it is not going to be a surprise if they have absolutely no idea that this takes place and believe that their pain just disappears.

A Natural Outcome

It will be as if, for their whole life, they have been given a helping hand to lift things, but as this is normal, they won’t know it. And, as this is something that just about everyone’s brain can do to one degree or another, it is also not going to be a surprise that they will live in a society that is largely not aware of this.

Many of the approaches that are used in mainstream society and many of those used on the fringes of society to handle mental problems are only effective due to the brain’s ability to repress pain. Moreover, the very fact that inner problems for the most part come under the umbrella of ‘mental health’, as opposed to mental and emotional health, is another sign of how effective this ability typically is – the mind is placed on a throne and the emotional self, by omission, is thus, subordinate to it.

The Barrier

If someone didn’t have this ability and were constantly flooded with pain, they wouldn’t be able to keep it together and to function. They would be overwhelmed with pain and their life would probably soon come to an end.

Nevertheless, as effective as this ability is, someone doesn’t have unlimited space for pain to accumulate. Not only this, due to early trauma, for example, their ability to repress pain might not be very effective.
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Reading the Signs

So, the anxiety and fear that they are experiencing, along with any of the other ‘mental’ problems that they have, can illustrate that they are carrying a fair amount of pain inside their brain and body. This is why they are experiencing inner unrest as it is no longer possible for their brain to stop it from entering their conscious awareness.

Simply changing their thoughts, for instance, which will be a way for them to unknowingly try to repress the pain that is most likely causing these thoughts to appear, is not going to truly solve anything. In this case, for their mind to settle down, it will be necessary for them to start to work through the pain that is indirectly calling out to them.

Awareness

If someone can relate to this and they are ready to change their life, they may need to reach out for external support. This is something that can be provided with the assistance of a therapist or healer.

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Oliver JR Cooper
http://www.oliverjrcooper.co.uk