Embedded Files
Your nervous system (your brain and nerves) is a complex, dynamic, and impressive part of your body.
It uses pain and stress to respond to danger and protect you. Your nerves act as an alarm system.
Your nervous system stores stressful or painful memories so you can be prepared for a similar threat in the future.
Sometimes, this alarm system becomes too good at protecting. Pain and stress following injury is a normal response!
Overprotection, though, can be unhelpful.
Think about your nervous system as different components of your unit
Recon Team
These are your nerves throughout your body. They send messages up the chain of command when they sense danger. If you tie all your nerves together end-to-end, they would stretch to a length of 45 miles long - that's a lot of reconnaissance!
Military Intel
These are special nerves in your spinal cord that filter through recon team messages before it gets sent up to the Command Team. For instance, do you feel your socks on your feet right now? Probably not! Your intel team blocks these signals. These nerves can also turn signals UP if there is danger!
Radio Operator
This part of your brain is quickest to detect danger. It's called your amygdala and plays a huge role in pain and stress. For example, you can thank your amygdala when you instinctively slam on the brakes when you see a car swerve in front of you.
Command and Control Center
This is the decision-making part of your brain. Because your C2 Center thinks and evaluates, its decisions are slower but more complete than your radio operator. When you choose to act based on your values, and not your fears, you're using your C2 center.
The war room
The war room
Think of your brain as the War Room, where all the major decisions are made. The brain evaluates all incoming information from different parts of the nervous system and makes decisions to ensure you survive. When the War Room thinks your safe, no action is taken. When it thinks there is danger, it activates an alarm (pain) so that you can take action.
This means the brain usually produces pain in response to a threat
⬇️
NOT necessarily damage
⬇️
Pain does NOT equal harm
Take control of your recovery
Take control of your recovery
Understanding your pain is the first step. Keep an eye on the H2F course calendar to join our pain workshop!
Identify and commit to ways to improve your rehab, stress management, nutrition, and sleep!
Content adapted from the work of MAJ Timothy Benedict, USAPHC, 2019
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse