The Pain

("Stress"-5)

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Function of the Penalty

Grief is an emotion available to us to cope with Loss .

For example: Loss of a person, loss of a relationship, loss of a connection, loss of an illusion, loss of confidence, loss of a project, leaving a place full of memories, sorrows etc.

It is an emotion useful at Levels A , C , G and U [1] of a Person.

Its evolutionary function is:

Reflection and Call for Social Support, promoting adaptation after loss or failure.

For effective management of our stress, we will have to consider, further on, ways of "discharging" the Pain, especially when its "discharge" has been "deferred" and "accumulated".

Pain and Sadness

Pain should trigger tears of sobs. Those sobs that, even after they have calmed down, continue to make our viscera tremble.

The Pain has both a physiological manifestation at Level- A and a psychological manifestation at Level -C .

Pain has the characteristics of an emotion due to its spontaneous, automatic nature, over a short period of time.

We believe that sadness is more of a feeling than an emotion. It can work over time.

Typically human

Pain as humans experience it seems specifically human.

The Loss that triggers it invokes a conscience , a Resource " Law " [2] , a void that often does not "fill". A void that humans know how to "circle" with words.

And seeing Pain in animals is probably an anthropomorphic projection that makes us attribute this human emotion to them.

And it's probably the same for Sadness.

The Physiological Mechanisms (Level-A) of Pain

• Decrease in serotonin (linked to well-being) and increase in cortisol (stress hormone), leading to a drop in energy.

• Activation of the anterior cingulate cortex, associated with emotional pain.

According to William H. Frey II ( biochemist) [3]:

• Emotional tears (related to loss, grief) are distinguished by a richer chemical composition, notably in proteins, stress hormones (cortisol, ACTH), and various compounds “to be eliminated” by the body.

• Emotional tears contain more stress-related hormones (cortisol, adrenocorticotropin), as well as substances that serve to "relieve" the body of emotional stress.

• Composition of tears: three types.

  • Basal tears: Normal lubrication of the eye.

  • Reflex tears: In response to an irritant (smoke, onion).

  • Emotional tears: Linked to a strong emotion (sorrow, loss, joy, etc.).

The chemical composition of tears of sorrow demonstrates their important role in "emotional release" following stress. They contain more substances related to stress or emotional pain, and actually participate in a mechanism for the body to clear these substances.

"Crocodile tears" do not contain the same chemical cocktail: they are closer to basal or reflex tears, mainly made of water, salts and a little protein.

The "valve" feeling

If the difficult emotion is pain, then it will often be deferred, accumulated without our knowledge, in our awareness. The difficult emotion of Pain will develop , over time, the chronic relief feeling of "Looking Away," out of fear of Pain, of the "negative." It can lead to a loss of bearings that can go as far as a blind, naive "positivism," which borders on denial of Reality.

And then what?

We have just begun to get to know the third of the four key emotions (fear, anger, grief, joy).

We are going to get to know the fourth key emotion: Joy (and strong Intimacy).

Then we will look at the fate of each key emotion that has been "charged" and the different ways, "in growth" and "in survival", of "discharging" the stress caused.

We will situate, in particular, the key emotion that is Pain in the Process of Mourning described by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross [4] .

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Soon

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The Next Episode: Joy .

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References

[1] See the Model-2L introductory series, on the Matrix-2L .

[2] See the Model-2L introductory series on LINK and LAW Resources

[3] William H. Frey II , with Muriel Langseth, Crying: The Mystery of Tears , Winston Press, 1985

[4] Elisabeth Kübler-Ross , On Death and Dying , New York: The Macmillan Company, 1969

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