Dear Helcat:

You are welcome.

“Expressing my anger… If it helps with chronic pain that would be a bonus” – (assuming that you researched much more thoroughly the topic of anger and pain than the tiny mini-study that I just did, you are welcome to skip it): practical pain management: “anger has been linked to inflammation, particularly with blood levels of c-reactive protein and interleukin-6. Anger may function as a predisposing factor, but may also be a precipitating, exacerbating, or perpetuating factor in pain”, psychology today: “suppressing anger has been linked to an increase in pain intensity ratings”,

Deuterman law group: “Anger can increase sensitivity and muscle tension, increasing pain… According to a research report by the International Association for the Study of Pain… ‘Anger is associated with pain intensity in many chronic pain conditions, including headache, fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, and back pain,’ the study authors write… Certainly, letting go of anger won’t make your pain disappear when you’re dealing with fibromyalgia, back injuries, or other painful medical conditions. But anger management strategies, a change in mindset, and techniques like meditation, mindfulness and cognitive behavior therapy may help you manage your pain better and have a positive impact on your quality of life”.

“As I said, there were dramatic differences between how she used to be compared to what she became. As a child I saw her as a monster and was terrified of her. In my last memory of her in person, she didn’t inspire fear, instead I pitied her” – when as a teenager, you witnessed your mother having lost her power, you felt compassion and sorrow for her because she lost something… Your empathy was with her for having experienced a loss?

anita