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The following article was published in Your Health Magazine. Our mission is to empower people to live healthier.
Kathi Whitten, LCSW
Dealing With Emotional Pain
No. VA Psychotherapy Associates
. http://www.kathiwhitten.com/

Dealing With Emotional Pain

In every persons life there will at times be pain. Sometimes the pain is physical, as when we must cope with illness, surgery or an accident. But there are many forms of emotional pain that we will encounter in our lives, and facing any kind of pain is never easy.

There are things that help, such as trying to understand situations. Job loss, strains in a relationship, or disappointments when our hopes are not met, may be softened by realizing what led to their occurrence.

But that doesnt always soothe the hurt accompanying painful situations. One of the most reliable aids to coping with pain is the caring and comforting presence of others.

For most people, having someone trusted nearby is a great comfort. Speaking about what hurts, being able to tell the story of our suffering has a healing aspect of its own. For some people turning to religion, meditation, or becoming immersed in absorbing activities can also help.

Sometimes hurts dont go away and time doesnt appear to bring the longed-for easing of emotional pain. This is when its helpful to consider getting professional help. Others may not know how to offer their assistance, or perhaps they themselves in some way contribute to the pain.

Unresolved anger, lingering misunderstandings, jealousies and envies, difficulty feeling accepted or approved of by others, a sense of poor self-esteem or body image may be chronic forms of emotional pain. At times grieving that doesnt seem to stop, or the impact of incidents from childhood, may hover in the background of our daily living.

Something once turned to for celebration or tension relief may have turned into an addictive habit from which one cant find release. Loneliness, anger, fear, anxiety, and grief are all normal parts of our necessary range of feelings. They serve a useful purpose, but when they seem to be too gripping, too consuming, when one feels powerless to see a way to bring an end to the suffering, talking to someone professionally may help.

Psychotherapy is a process that helps people find resolution to strong feelings that dont ease on their own. It helps people discover different ways to interact with each other for a more supportive environment, and works to help each person find a balance to suffering by encouraging acceptance, new ways to handle things, and a more satisfying and creative manner of being present to oneself and others.

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