Not long ago, someone asked me:
“If my back pain is emotional… then who, exactly, is angry?”
It’s a great question.
Because for most people, it’s not the rational adult part of you that’s upset.
It’s the part that never got to grow up.
Pain as Protest
We’re taught to see pain as purely physical. But centuries of psychology—and decades of neuroscience—tell us otherwise: emotion and physiology are deeply entangled.
Dr. John Sarno called it Tension Myoneural Syndrome—a theory that emotional pressure can restrict blood flow to muscles and nerves, producing real, burning pain.
Not imagined. Not malingering.
A nervous system trying to say:
“Something’s wrong. Please listen.”
What the Brain Says
Modern neuroscience backs this up.
Your anterior insula—one of the brain’s key pain hubs—lights up during physical injury, emotional distress, even heartbreak.
Same with the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). It doesn’t just register pain—it interprets it. Decides if it’s dangerous. Decides if it matters.
And when those regions get sensitized by stress—grief, rage, fear—the nervous system begins treating even harmless signals from the back as threats.
That’s how emotional tension turns into physical pain.
When the Body Becomes the Voice
So you don’t rage at your parents. You don’t snap at your partner. You don’t collapse at your desk.
But your back does.
Because the child inside you still wants to be heard.
It flares when your mother visits.
Spasms after a quiet but devastating letdown.
Numbs out after a “win” that feels hollow.
Your body becomes the only place that will speak the truth.
Healing Begins When You Listen
Healing doesn’t start with new stretches or better posture.
It starts by asking:
“What is my body trying to tell me?”
When I guide someone to this realization, it’s not therapy. It’s clarity.
And usually, a thought surfaces:
“I’m tired of always doing the right thing.”
“Nobody ever checks if I’m okay.”
“Maybe I just want to quit.”
These aren’t escape plans.
They’re truths that finally want to be seen.
And once they are—once they’re felt and acknowledged—the body can stop using pain as a shield.
Final Thought
Most chronic back pain isn’t mechanical.
It’s emotional.
Letting your inner child speak might not make logical sense at first. But ironically, it often makes the pain disappear faster than any stretch or surgery ever could.
That might sound like weakness, but it’s actually deep wisdom.
Because sometimes the smallest voice—the one you buried long ago—is the only one that can finally set you free.
Sources:
Keep learning
Stanford Reduced Chronic Back Pain in Just One 2-Hour Class
A two-hour neuroscience education class at Stanford helped chronic pain patients reduce symptoms as much as weeks of therapy. Understanding how the brain misinterprets signals allowed participants to feel safe again—and that’s when the pain subsided.
Take This 1-Minute Back Pain Self-Test
If your pain moves around, worsens with stress, or fades when you’re distracted, it may not be structural at all. This short self-test helps you recognize patterns that point to a nervous system stuck in ‘protect’ mode—and how to begin calming it down.
The Harder You Try to Fix It, The Worse It Gets
The endless search for fixes—new stretches, supplements, devices—often keeps the brain focused on danger. Real recovery begins when you stop trying to “fight” the pain and start teaching your brain that it’s safe to relax again.
Real people. Real relief.
These are real stories from people who were stuck in pain—until they tried the Makepeace Method. Now they're free.
One day, you bend down to pick up a sock—and your back goes out.
“Knowing what I know now, I regret having back surgery.”
“I feel so much better — and I’m grateful this exists.”
“This took my pain from a 9 or 10 down to a 1 or 2.”
“After doing the program, I got up from my desk one day and the pain and tingling were just gone.”
“I've had significant improvements in my pain levels. I now feel confident about managing my back health.”
“This method makes a complex idea easy to implement. Bottom line: I’m feeling much better.”
“I was bedridden for weeks. Now the pain is gone, and when it flares, I can shut it off.”
“I was a massage therapist for 30 years. Several weeks ago I started an excruciating ordeal with back pain. The Makepeace Method was life changing for me. My back has improved tremendously. Thank you a million times over.”
“I loved your course. It was a blessing listening to your videos. It has given me hope on my healing journey.”
“I had been truly suffering for months. Within a few days, I was moving freely again. Thank you.”
You've done your time in pain. Now take your life back.
You’ve fought hard and tried it all, but the burden was never yours to carry forever. Your brain is ready to reset, your body to feel safe again. Pain is not who you are - it’s time to reclaim your life.
