What is "Inner Pain"?

        Part of daily life is loosely called "inner pain," as in "Pat is in a lot of pain now." Few of my therapy clients have been able to explain what their "pain" is. Premise - When you can clearly describe your inner discomforts, you're better able to identify what you need to reduce them.

     Infants and adults live each moment somewhere in a range between delirious, joyful, thrilled, and blissful, through "numb" to awful, despairing, horrified, terrified, hysterical, suicidal, and agonized. From this, inner pain is an umbrella term for one or more specific uncomfortable emotions. These may cause and/or signal physical discomforts:

     Common discomforts are significant shame, guilt, regret and remorse; fear, horror or terror; confusion or overwhelm, sadness; despair; frustration, anger or rage, disgust; aimlessness; "emptiness" and loneliness; disappointment; and helplessness. Naming current specific dis-comforts enables you to (a) learn which personality subselves bring them to you and (b) work to satisfy their needs so their (your) discomfort recedes. Lessons 1 and 2 here offer practical frameworks to help you and others do that. Follow the links .