Our experience of pain - A class discussion

Our experience of pain - A class discussion

Number of replies: 26

Participate in a class discussion...

  1. Watch the video - what do we learn about the experience of pain? 
  2. Why does the amount of pain we feel not always reflect the injury we receive? 
  3. Why is pain so subjective?

Each student should contribute to the discussion (200 words maximum)



48 words

In reply to First post

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Thomas Baty -
In the video, we see that Jonathan was trapped and had to cut his own arm off to save his life. He did it without feeling anything except discomfort. We then learn that under certain conditions, the pain we perceive is not related to the severity of the injury. The brainstem is involved in the perception of pain and can modulate it depending on the information it receives. For instance, in a state of survival, it can reduce the amount of pain. Conversely, a negative emotion such as anxiety can increase the sensation of pain. This is why it is subjective, everyone has their own emotion and background that will affect their perception.

113 words

In reply to Thomas Baty

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Charlotte Sanchez -
Indeed, the subjectivity of pain is very well-known among the scientists. It has been shown that the parts of the brain involved in pain perception are linked to emotional centers. So it could be possible that under extreme conditions involving survival, our mind and body could make us feel less pain.

Moreover, it's true that we all have a different manner of COPING with pain, depending on our experience with it and our psychosocial background. Plus, it appears that some individualS can even train themselves into feeling less pain. I’m thinking about practices like mindfulness meditation that can be used to learn how to manage pain and be less vulnerable to chronic pain for example. Here, the link with emotions seems pretty obvious since meditation has a positive impact on emotion management and stress release.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Wednesday, 2 November 2022, 6:15 PM)

148 words

In reply to Charlotte Sanchez

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Melissa Sadallah -
In our case, the reduction of sensation is rather induced by the survival instinct. When we are faced with a physical stress we will have an endorphin release, which will have an analgesic effect and therefore regulate the transfer of painful information from the periphery. This process can be mastered by learning, as is typically the case with professional athletes who continue to play despite their injury or the fakir who is able to sleep on a nail board. Therefore, the psycho-social environment has a big impact on inter-individual differences in pain perception. Depending on what the person has done in his or her life, THAT EXPERIENCE can help him or her to manage acute pain when it occurs, so yes, I think mindfulness mediation, if practiced often, can play a role in situations like this.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Saturday, 26 November 2022, 9:42 AM)

149 words

In reply to Melissa Sadallah

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Clement Laffont -
Pain is a sensory perception that might vary depending on the circumstances. Indeed, in extreme circumstances, the body can regulate the intensity of physical pain. There is a top-down modulation from the brain, allowing people like Jonathan to cut OFF(!) their arm with a sensation of discomfort instead of passing out due to pain. THIS demonstrates how, under extreme survival situations, the brain can reduce our ability to experience pain in order to survive.

Actually, this can be explained by the brain regions responsible for emotions, attention and decision, which send messages into the brainstem and then the spinal cord, in order to obstruct the input of pain signals to the brain. There is also a release of a bunch of molecules like endorphins that helps to reduce the nociception. On the other hand, molecules like prostaglandins and anger or other distressing feelings can make pain worse.

As Mélissa and Charlotte said, meditation could help in the process of nociception. A bit cliché but, Tibetan monks are used to hitting rocks and planks of wood since their young age, leading to the destruction of nociceptors in their hands and arms. Combined with lots of meditation during these exercises, it leads to reducing the perception of pain.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Sunday, 4 December 2022, 10:15 PM)

219 words

In reply to Thomas Baty

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Nicolas Boissart -
As previously explained, on this BBC report we can see a man who had to cut his arm OFF and felt only discomfort thus illustrating that pain and injury are not always proportionate. This phenomenon has been explained by the action of the brain stem, a gate keeper for information, alongside the release of natural pain killer. However, other factors explaining / pain desensitization cannot be ruled out. For instance, the arm REMAINED between two heating plates FOR dozens of hours while gangrene started to grow. Pain receptors could have been damaged or destroyed, and so, stopping the pain FROM BEING felt. Supporting this theory, an interview FROM CNN unveils a new fact: while he was reaching the second half of his arm, he started to feel an unsustainable pain, that he described as “near death”. Therefore, we could wonder what the real cause of the desensitization WAS: did the painkiller fade out or did the MAN reach a part of the arm where neurons were undamaged? It might be a mix of BOTH. Still, and despite these confusing factors, this video is a good illustration of the many ways the body can deal with intense pain.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Thursday, 3 November 2022, 5:51 PM)

210 words

In reply to Nicolas Boissart

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Yaeun Shim -
Through this BBC report, we learnt about the modulation of the feeling of pain in some extreme circumstances. We observe that if the painful sensation exceeds the threshold, our body is able to stop painful perception. Indeed, when Jonathan had to face an extreme situation, to save himself, he managed to cut his arm off with only a « discomfort » feeling.
Interestingly, many studies REVEAL that our brain is able to activate some specific regions and adapt itself TO each situation. AS Thomas WROTE, our brain can receive only selected information. Besides, as mentioned by Nicolas and others, THIS MAY be due to the inactivation of some receptors, named nociceptors, which are dedicated to the perception of pain. Moreover, some people are predisposed to depression or anxiety, because of their genetic heritage, and we are not born with the same number of nociceptors, so as a consequence, some people can be more sensitive to pain.
As proposed by previous students, the perception of pain depends on many factors, such as psychology, the emotional state of the moment, each person’s own experience of pain, furthermore there are some genetic factors. Therefore, the pain sensation is subjective, with considerable inter-individual differences.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Sunday, 27 November 2022, 7:04 PM)

213 words

In reply to Yaeun Shim

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Coline Marcelly -
Pain is a sensory experience that can be modulated according to the situation. Indeed, through Jonathan’s experience, we learnt that the body can control the amount of physical pain in extreme cases. While he was cutting off this arm, Jonathan reveals that he was feeling only a “mild discomfort” (BBC documentary). It shows us how the brain can turn down how we feel pain in situationS of extreme survival.

In fact, this can be explained by the attentional, emotional and decision-making brain areas which transmit messages into the brainstem, blocking the input of pain signals to the brain. The amount of pain we feel depends on the context of the situation, but also on how we feel emotionally. Negative emotions, like anguish, can increase pain perception and its intensity (BBC documentary, Irene Tracy’s experiments).

Furthermore, everyone experiences pain differently. The perception of pain depends on early-life experiences, genetic factors as Yaeun said, but also on the psychological and physical state. For example, in some diseases sensitivity to pain is increased, like in endometriosis with chronic pelvic pains and in Parkinson’s disease with neuropathic pain. The modulation of pain perception is therefore subjective and depends on the individual and the context.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Sunday, 4 December 2022, 6:16 PM)

213 words

In reply to Thomas Baty

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Sarah Maquarez -
In the above video, we learn that Jonathan was able to cut his arm without feeling any much more than a feeling of discomfort. This observation leads to the hypothesis that pain is a variable perception : the same injury, depending on the context or the person, seems to lead to different levels of pain. WE know that in a very stressful situation, our body puts itself in a particular state made for our survival. Indeed, it’s often by experiencing very dangerous events, involving injuries or even risks of death, that people point out the fact they didn't remember feeling pain at the time. One answer is the fact that pain is not considered a prior input : in a context of danger, our attention may lead us to other sensory information, so we are not focusing on useless STUFF (INFORMAL)/INPUT.
IN CONTRAST to the case of Jonathan, certain conditions can lead to an increase of the pain perception : for example, PTSD is an anxiety disorder that results in an hypervigilance.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Sunday, 13 November 2022, 2:26 PM)

185 words

In reply to Sarah Maquarez

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Eva Bentejac -
The experience of pain depends a lot on the situation in which we experience it. Indeed, our brain has the capacity to shut down the pain we are supposed to feel, just so THAT we can stay alive, like Jonathan experienced/.
As Nicolas Boissart explained, in the case of Jonathan, his pain receptors may have been damaged by the gangrene that grew in his arm. If that was the case, it would explain why he didn’t feel any pain while cutting his arm.
But other situations show that our brain reactions depend a lot ON the situation. Indeed, when information is TOO difficult to integrate (too much pain, too much fear, too much danger…), our brain shutS down this information and its usual consequences.
So, perhaps we can imagine that the hormones or molecules released in stressful situations HAVE AN impact ON pain perception : during chronic stress, pain perception is majored (like in PTSD according to Sarah), whereas during an acute phase of stress, pain perception is lowered (like in survival situations).

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Sunday, 13 November 2022, 8:07 PM)

186 words

In reply to First post

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Elisa Le Cozannet -
Pain is a subjective sensation, its perception depends on both physical and psychological factors. Indeed, in this video, Jonathan’s pain insensitivity when it comes to cutting his own arm off can be attributed, as previously stated in this discussion, to physical damage of the sensory pathway neurons or the release of hormonal painkillers in the particular context of a near-death experiment. Pain perception can also vary ACROSS INDIVIDUALS, depending on previous pain EXPOSURE for instance, as athletes tend to have a higher pain tolerance. Moreover, social constructs also have an impact on pain tolerance. For example, recent studies HAVE suggested that men and women who strongly identified with their gender’s stereotypical construction had different pain perceptions, as men had a higher pain tolerance. Whereas men and women who didn’t conform to gender norms did not demonstrate significant pain tolerance differences.
Altogether, these results tend to indicate that pain perception is subjective and varies from a person to another, as it is a combination of physical, psychological and contextual factors.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Tuesday, 15 November 2022, 3:51 PM)

182 words

In reply to First post

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Joanna Doliwa -
Pain does not exist outside one’s body. It is a subjective experience, which means it can be modified by a variety of factors. Examples include the emotional state, possible distractions, situational context, and more. Furthermore, religious BELIEFS, gender, and ethnic background have been proven to play an important role as well. Together with nociceptive stimuli, these elements are processed by the nervous system in order to result in what we innerly perceive as pain. Interestingly, the amount of pain we feel does not always reflect the received injury. Such was the case of Jonathan, who had to cut off his his limb in order to save his life. Due to an immense motivation to survive and the subsequent hormonal rush, he managed to cut through his flesh without feeling hardly any physical pain. However, some anatomical nerve damage might have occured during his accident and this factor cannot be excluded when reflecting UPON his experience.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Thursday, 17 November 2022, 2:48 PM)

168 words

In reply to First post

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Lou Raymond -
The pain experience can be modulated by several contexts, some are pharmacological, extreme, or psychological. Here, THIS is a severe example of pain experience where Jonathan explains that he had no choice to cut OFF his arm IF HE WERE TO survive a serious situation. But doing that he only felt a “mild discomfort” which is extremely annoying considering the damage caused to HIS own body. However, he explains that his action was motivated by the consequences, he wanted to be reunited with his family, friends and fiancé. So can we say that the survival instinct, in this situation, allowed him to inhibit his nociceptive information, to pass inTO a kind of “second state”, being the only way to save himself? Moreover, he says that he experienced / emotional pain LOOKING AT the interior of his arm. This highlights the fact that “pain inhibition” concernS only / physical pain. It illustrates another pain modulator: the psychological aspect. Indeed, this might explain the subjectivity of pain because it depends on personal feeling.
To conclude, we can say that pain perception is really relative to the context, the environment, and the psychological state and background of the individual.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Friday, 18 November 2022, 8:54 PM)

209 words

In reply to Lou Raymond

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Alicia Rousseau -
In this report we can see that Jonathan had to face a traumatic experience by cutting his arm, yet he felt almost no pain. As Nicolas said, this may be partly due to damage to the nociceptive cells in his arm.
But it can also be due to dissociation. Indeed, when we are in a highly stressful situation, when the pain or the fear is too strong for us, our brain isolates our amygdala. This structure is at the origin of the emotional and sensory response. The amygdala inhibits the emotional circuit which interrupts the production of stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol. Which in too large a quantity can be toxic for us. Thus the amygdala is isolated from the cortex WHICH THEN leads to a disconnection of the victim with his sensory, painful, and emotional perceptions. We find this phenomenon IN PARTICULAR in people who have undergone sexual abuse.
However, in the cases of less extreme pain, the threshold of perception and the intensity of pain are effectively modulated by the psychological state of the person, his environment and his learning.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Sunday, 27 November 2022, 12:07 AM)

195 words

In reply to Alicia Rousseau

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Amelie Marc -
This video is a testimony given by Jonathan about HIS OWN experience OF PAIN. He tells us how he came to cut off his own arm HIMSELF and, more surprisingly, the fact that he DID NOT FEEL so much pain compared to the injury.
It is difficult to separate physical pain from emotional pain. According to Professor Irene Tracey, pain is a “complicated multifactorial experience” and depends on the environment, the context situation or our emotional state… SO, several mechanisms could PROVIDE AN EXPLANATION FOR what Jonathan EXPERIENCED (EXPERIENCE VERSUS A NEUROSICENCE EXPERIMENT?). First, we know that brain areas involved in pain perception are linked to emotional centers. As Alicia MENTIONED, the amygdala can be “isolated” from sensory signals and then reduce pain perception. Furthermore, as the brain contains pain perception areas, it can turn up how we feel pain or, in AN extreme situation, turn it down. The brain stem is a brain area that blockS pain signals from entering the brain. That process probably saved Jonathan’s life.
Ultimately, pain perception is obviously a subjective process and depend on what we are going through in life. But in order to protect OURSELVES during survival situations, our brain is able to cut pain signals automatically.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Sunday, 4 December 2022, 5:42 PM)

218 words

In reply to First post

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Eva Vrignon -
We can feel pain thanks to the nociceptors of our body. Obviously, if these nociceptors and the nerves they are connected to are damaged, our perception of pain will be altered. But in reality, we all have our own sensitivity to pain. For example, if you ask two children suffering from the exact same injury to rate the pain they feel on a scale from 0 to 10, they are likely to evaluate it differently. As WE HAVE already BEEN reminded in this discussion, the central nervous system contains some specific pathways that are in charge of blocking pain signals when it is necessary. Thanks to them, we can decrease the sensation of pain to focus on more important information when we are in a situation of survival. THIS is probably what happened to Jonathan in this video. Moreover, according to our LIFE experiences, our daily activities and our spiritual awakening, these pathways are more or less developed. Indeed, if we are used to being confronted to the same type of pain, our neuronal circuits will evolve to increase our tolerance. This phenomenon is called synaptic plasticity. 

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Sunday, 27 November 2022, 5:58 PM)

200 words

In reply to First post

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Lea Capdevielle -
Pain is a sensory and emotional experience essential to the survival of organisms, indeed it allows US to BE alert in case of danger to the body. Moreover, the perception of this sensory modality is not regular and universal. It is subjective, it depends on OUR genetic heritage but also on the history of the individual with HIS OR HER psychosocial and environmental framework. The subjective nature of pain complicates its study, in fact, the pain experience is difficult to assimilate to a simple neuronal activity so even imaging cannot provide objective data. Additionally, as Jonathan describes, in a life-threatening emergency, a prioritization of information processing occurs. This phenomenon is due to a descending control of pain by the brain on the spinal cord, by factors modulating the processing of information such as endorphins. Thus a painful signal perceived by / nociceptors following an injury MAY be counterbalanced by other messages, the individual does not consciously perceive the pain but it reappears once the immediate danger has passed.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Monday, 28 November 2022, 5:24 PM)

181 words

In reply to First post

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Camille Humeau -
Jonathan Metz had his left arm stuck for about 12 hours when he asked himself: "what would MacGyver do?" and concluded that amputating the limb was his only chance for survival. But EVEN more surprising is that for him: "about 90 per cent of the cut was surprisingly pain-free".

The feeling of pain is a very subjective phenomenon that can be EXTREMELY different (FROM ONE PERSON TO ANOTHER?)depending on the individual but also EVEN ACROSS DIFFERENT SITUATIONS FOR the same person. Indeed, the environmental context: emotional (he said in an interview that thoughts of his fiancee, family and beagle Portia kept him going), sociocultural, ethnological or religious can largely modulate pain/ perception. There is a close link between pain and the psychosocial context. Brain imaging also shows that the brain centres responsible for pain/ perception are associated with the centres of emotions.

As some have already mentioned on this forum, there is a powerful pain control system in the brain and the spinal cord, which notably involves endorphins and regulates the transfer of painful information from the periphery. This system can be mastered by learning, as typically top athletes DO WHEN THEY continue to play despite their injury or the fakir who can sleep on a nail board.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Wednesday, 30 November 2022, 9:28 PM)

221 words

In reply to First post

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Amalia Lambert-Ringuet -
Pain is a highly subjective sensation generated by the brain, experienced nowhere else than within a living being. Previous studies have indeed highlighted changes in the human brain activation associated with interindividual pain perception. Moreover, many intercurrent factors such as the environment, the context, the emotional state or even the previous experience built THROUGHOUT / life may be involved in the modulation of the pain message, making the interplay between nociceptive input and pain perception complex and often non-linear for a given individual. In general, the main function of pain is to automatically draw attention towards sources of potential injury. However, the amount of pain we feel does not always reflect the injury we receive : it sometimes needs to be inhibited in order to address or pursue more relevant tasks, as happened to Jonathan who almost painlessly cut his own arm to save his life.
In brief, the experience of pain is multifactorial, underpinned by the influence of activated neural networks of the brain on those involved in pain and the integration of these signals by the brainstem, which acts as a gate keeper. These are key areas for changingTHE REPORTING OF pain, whether increasing or decreasing the threshold.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Friday, 2 December 2022, 12:06 PM)

213 words

In reply to First post

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Mathilda Gaulard -
Pain is both a very personal and universal subject. We have all experienced pain, but the way we feel it is subjective.
Actually, pain can be modulated by a particular situation. In the BBC video, the man explains that he cut his arm OFF and felt no pain. What is really interesting is that he talks about "emotional pain". In fact, pain takes many forms, it's not created only by our nociceptors, it's not just physical. As Professor Irene Tracey says in the video, "pain doesn’t exist". It’s something we all create, which is why it is such a subjective emotion. Also, pain is sometimes difficult to describe, it's like describing a colour. The following sentence of Elaine Scarry, in "The Body in Pain", takes up this idea : "let a sufferer try to describe a pain […] language at once runs dry."(Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 2018)
In conclusion, we can say that pain is very subjective because of the biological and mental aspects that are interconnected. We feel pain in different ways depending on our experience, our state of mind or our physical sensitivity.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Friday, 2 December 2022, 3:44 PM)

198 words

In reply to Mathilda Gaulard

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Lina Sikouk -
Effectively, pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience, the causes can be multiple. From an evolutionary point, pain plays an important role in allowing the body to react and protect itself, especially to survive.
 
As described in the video on Jonathan's experience, we can observe that the perception of pain can be altered or variable depending on the context and the individual. Indeed, pain is a sensation that can be confused with individual psychological and biological specificities. In Jonathan's case, it can be assumed that the altered pain sensation may be related to a degradation of nociceptor neurons upon impact with the boiler, as many people in this forum have already said.

However, Léa Capdeveille raises a very interesting point about the hierarchy of pain. In fact, from Jonathan's speech, we can also assume that the psychic stress and fear of dying would have taken precedence over the physical pain. This is not an isolated case as the same situation happened to Aron Ralston, a mountaineer that inspired the film "127h" in which the character also had to amputate his arm to survive.

184 words

In reply to First post

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Antoine Recoquillon -
We are not all equal in front of pain, it depends on many factors and is not centralized in one area of the brain.
Firstly, in the BBC video of Jonathan's story, where he EXPLAINS how he had to cut his arm OFF to get FREE, we learn that he felt no real pain. Indeed, under certain conditions, the pain seems to be modulated.
Moreover, Irene Tracey, in the article “Neuroscience of pain” (Nicola Twilley, New Yorker), acknowledges that pain is neurologically complex. Several regions are implicated. For instance, we can mention sensory areas.
In addition, the scientist refers to a study on the mechanisms of chronic pain. In critical situations, such as Jonathan's, chemical messages from the brain stem could block pain signals, drastically reducing pain. However, in situations of anxiety, the opposite phenomenon would occur, and thus an increase in perceived pain.
Scientists have realized that our brains do not all react in the same way by using innovative imaging techniques, such as fRMI. This is explained by the fact that genetic, emotional and environmental factors are all involved. That’s why the sensation of pain really depends on the person and is clearly subjective.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Sunday, 4 December 2022, 2:19 PM)

209 words

In reply to First post

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Alexandre Auzou -
From this video, we learn that while pain feels definitively like an absolute reality, it may in fact be altered and modulated by both internal and external factors. In this example, Jonathan had to cut off his arm while being under extreme emotional distress, and felt only mild physical discomfort. While there is a case for this being due to his arm being constricted for a day and his nociceptive receptors being damaged, the video puts a heavy emphasis on the state of mind of Jonathan playing a critical role in modulating the physical pain he felt. It did not reflect the severity of the injury and that may be explained by the fact that the perception of pain is subjective and dependent on individual differences in physiological, emotional and cognitive states. As an example of subjectivity, the pain threshold, which is the minimum sensory input for which an individual feels pain, is different from one individual to another. It can even vary for the same individual. To conclude, Jonathan’s situation shows how pain isn’t absolute as his pain threshold dramatically increased during this experience, thanks to his mental state.

190 words

In reply to Alexandre Auzou

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Lou Foulhac -
Pain is defined by a highly unpleasant physical sensation caused by illness or injury, but in fact it depends on each person and especially on the situation. With the testimony of Jonathan, we learn that he cuts his own arm feeling only a mild discomfort. Actually, in some cases where the survival instinct comes into play, the brain can “sort” information. Like Yaeun and Thomas said, it can receive selected information. As said before, the lack of incredible pain can also be explained by the damage of the nociceptors.

Ultimately, pain is different for each person and is a huge subject of researchers. It can depend on our body or psychological state. But we have to remember that pain is also really important in our life to protect us from many dangers. THERE ARE CERTAIN illnesses, FOR EXAMPLE congenital insensitivity to pain, where patients can feel any pain. Even if we think IT MIGHT BE a good thing to not feel any pain, in fact this illness is a really serious condition and it’s common for people to die in childhood due to injuries because they can’t feel PAIN.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Sunday, 4 December 2022, 11:13 PM)

202 words

In reply to Lou Foulhac

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Laetitia Lageyre -
The experience of pain is subjective: only you feel your pain. People experience the same pain differently and the same pain can seem worse to a single individual from one time to the next. Moreover, the amount of pain we feel does not always reflect the injury we receive. Jonathan Metz, like Aron Ralston a few years before him, are good examples of this notion: they both had to face a situation requiring them to cut their arm off. Interestingly, Jonathan did not feel anything other than a “mild discomfort”. Actually, this can be explained by the gate control theory, first proposed in 1965 and taken up in Irene Tracey’s work: two mechanisms within the brain stem can muffle or boost pain signals before they enter the rest of the brain. Other studies have shown that pain can be modulated by many elements: for instance, distraction may decrease pain intensity, or anxiety may increase pain disability. Finally, “pain is a complicated multidimensional and multifactorial experience”. The environment, the context of the situation, the emotional and psychological state, social and cultural influences, are factors that can change how the signals are processed by the brain and how much pain you feel.

200 words

In reply to First post

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Lucie Ben Sussan -
In this video, we can see an extreme case of human survival. In fact, Jonathan had to cut off his own arm in order to survive. By doing this, we would have expected him to feel extreme pain but he only felt mild discomfort. This is an example that pain is more or less perceived depending the situation, the person and his state of mind. Like other hormones, adrenaline can reduce the sensation of pain for a while but if these hormones are less present in our body, we can feel more pain. The state of mind can modulate THE secretion of hormones, and this state of mind that takes place during a painful experience is different according to THE WAY IN WHICH we HAVE FACED pain during our liveS. This capacity of adaptation is due to the cerebral plasticity. For example, someone who HAS HAD to face pain frequently in his life could have more efficient body reactions and a higher tolerance in THE same situation AS someone who has not HAD THAT EXPERIENCE. All THESE factors are interconnected and can explain why THE same injury can be felt differently by different persons but also by the same person if the external or internal context is different.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Monday, 5 December 2022, 12:26 PM)

221 words

In reply to First post

Re: Our experience of pain - A class discussion

by Julien Fouilloux -
Why DIDN'T Jonathan suffer EVEN THOUGH HE CUT OFF his arm? ONE explanation may be found in the complexity of the pain circuitry in the brain.
There are several feedback loops between pain, emotions and cognition.
Indeed, pain can have a negative effect on emotion and on cognitive function. Conversely, a negative emotional state can lead to increased pain, whereas a positive state can reduce pain. Similarly, cognitive states such as attention and memory can either increase or decrease pain. Of course, emotions and cognition can also interact reciprocally.
Moreover, attentional and emotional factors modulate pain perception via different pathways. For example, manipulating the attentional state primarily alters the perceived intensity of the pain sensation without significantly altering the perceived unpleasantness of the pain. IN contrast, altering the mood state alters the perceived unpleasantness of the pain without altering the intensity of the sensation. So attention and emotion alter pain via different descending modulatory systems.
I guess in the case of Jonathan, it’s the pathway involved in the emotional modulation which is solicited.

(Edited by Joanne Pageze - original submission Monday, 12 December 2022, 11:41 AM)

187 words