Numbness

Physical pain. We all experience it in one form or another, for one reason or another. And we all eventually move on from it. What's fascinating about that though, is how the brain reacts to it. Now, I don't know the science of it or any of that, but the sheer psychology that is behind the sensation of pain is absolutely intriguing.

We've all had our moments of pain, be it a stubbed toe or a head-splitting headache, that we've though, "I hope that never ever happens again." Those are the moments of absolutely intolerable pain, seemingly, which make us resent taking risks that may lead to a repeat performance. Yet somehow, we take the risks again and again. Even if I know that running five miles after not working out for a while is not only going to make my stomach haywire for the next hour but also cause my legs to hurt miserably the next morning, I still do it occasionally.

Remembered pain never carries the same effects as the original did. We may feel a tension in a bone we broke, or a dull throbbing of a joint that periodically acts up, even if it is fine at present. The memory of a hurting body is never anywhere near as severe as the original pain that we experienced. The brain somehow seems to numb it, to black out the most miserable moments.

After all, if we could remember each ache or shooting pain, would we ever be willing to move, at risk of experiencing that again? Probably not. Yet we go on with out lives, most often seemingly unaware of the pain we may be risking. How else could this be possible if the memory of it was not thus dulled? The more time passes, the less power that thought holds over us, as well. The day after you have stitches taken out, you may be more hesitant to do whatever it is you were doing that resulted in stitches. A month later, you may be willing to try it again. After a year, it's almost as though there was no accident.

Just as memories of events fade, the memory of pain seems to likewise dissipate over time. It seems to be less and less of a big deal, until one day we can't remember at all how it felt. Sometimes we even look back on it and think that we could have toughed it out, even though it certainly didn't feel that way in the moment. Makes one wonder about the abilities of the human brain...