Dopamine Relieves Pain - Try Encouraging Your Subconscious To Supply It


Dopamine has long been known to be linked to positive experiences such as eating and sex. But it's now known to be released when you're in pain, so you may want to try increasing your supply of it--naturally.

Dopamine levels tend to rise when something good happens that exceeds your expectations. The neurotransmitter gives you a pervasive feeling of well-being, making everything seem right in the world.

But dopamine also is released when you're in pain. That is, the same reward pathway that gives you pleasure during great sex or a great meal also releases dopamine when pain signals are received in the brain.

Dopamine and Endorphins

Dopamine and endorphins both seek to alleviate pain. But they have a complex relationship.

On one hand, when endorphins are released in response to pain, dopamine seems to be triggered to move into the frontal lobe of the brain, neutralizing the feeling of pain.

On the other hand, when dopamine levels are too high, they tend to reduce the amount of endorphins available for pain relief. That may be why antidepressants that are designed to reduce dopamine levels sometimes relieve chronic pain--they allow endorphin levels to stay higher than when excessive dopamine is present.

Attaining A Balance

The interactions between dopamine and endorphins illustrate how difficult it is to achieve optimal levels of brain chemistry while using drugs to target one neurotransmitter over another.

The subconscious, however, may be well placed to achieve the necessary balance for pain relief. Because it controls the involuntary functions of the body, it most likely has the knowledge necessary to guide the delicate tradeoffs between neurotransmitters that must occur.

The Role of Visualization

Through visualization statements it may be possible to focus your subconscious on balancing the impact of dopamine and endorphins on the pain process. This could be true for back pain or pain in the neck or other extremities, arthritis pain, fibromyalgia pain, or neuropathic pain (nerve pain).

Visualization statements represent the specific language that your subconscious wants you to read back to it to help ease your pain. They're simple and are targeted directly at the main factors that could bring you relief.

You can obtain these statements by learning how to communicate directly with your own subconscious mind. The process is straightforward and can be done at home by working with a facilitator over the telephone. You you need no special skills and no previous experience in working with the subconscious.

The Balanced Use of Dopamine

It's possible to ask the subconscious whether visualizing an increase of dopamine will be helpful in relieving pain. If at the same time it is also asked about endorphins and the other neurotransmitters involved in pain, it has the opportunity to provide balanced answers. This may be helpful in easing pain.

Ben Plumb is CEO and President of The Visualization Group, Inc. The company's service is delivered by people like himself who personally suffered from years of chronic pain, and used the visualization method described in this article to obtain relief when nothing else worked.


More Resources

Fitness-related Benefits of Massage
Ask someone their reason for getting a massage and you're likely to hear "because it feels good". We all know that a massage can relieve stress, help to make sore muscles feel better and even reduce anxiety, but can it help us achieve our fitness goals? Research shows that the massage you get to relieve stress can also have a positive effect on your muscle-building capabilities and fitness level.
The Writer As Activist
Almost two years ago, before the release of my first book, "Short of a Picnic," I began writing nonfiction Internet essays that, like the book itself, deal with mental health. I say "deal" with mental health instead of "dealt" with mental health because these essays, five or six of them altogether, continue to be read.
Understanding Herbology
The use of herbs as early forms of medicine or healing aid dates back centuries, as far back as the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, East Indian, Chinese, and many South American Cultures. Herbs are generally safe and like warm sunshine, natural and beneficial to mind, body and spirit, not to mention affordable compared to prescription medicine.
Sweet Sustenance
"The difference between sugar addiciton and narcotic addiction is largely one of degree." - William Dufty, Sugar Blues.
Serotonin Kills Pain - And May Be Available From Your Subconscious
Serotonin is not just for depression--it's potent for pain relief as well. Here's a drug-free way you may be able to increase your supply of this natural painkiller.
Frankincense in Aromatherapy - Trees, Pearls, and Essential Oil
The Mysterious FrankincenseUsed for many thousands of years, the Frankincense tree has perhaps the greatest association with spiritualpractice of any plant on earth. In most of the great ancient cultures,including the Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, Hebrew, Greek and Roman civilizations, it has played a role inreligious and domestic life.
Genital Herpes - Natural and Alternative Treatment Remedies
Modern medical science has not been able to produce a cure for the herpes simplex virus (HSV) and can only offer pharmaceutical solutions that help ease the pain and speed up recovery from a genital herpes outbreak. For those that don't want to turn to medication to manage a lifetime of outbreaks, several holistic and natural remedies may offer a safer alternative.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a mental and emotional condition that has its origins in a physical and/or mentally traumatic event that occurred anywhere from a few days to several years in the past. PTSD can develop by one overwhelming trauma as in 9/11 or by a series of smaller traumas or abuses occurring over several years such as living in an alcoholic home.
The Benefits of Drinking Mangosteen (XanGo)
Benefits of Drinking XanGo:The Mangosteen fruit (XanGo's main ingredient) is unique because of its antioxidants and Xanthones. 43 Xanthones have been found thus far in the Mangosteen.
Top 10 Trends in Healthcare
America is undergoing a dramatic shift in healthcare. Actually, ten distinctly different shifts.
Hyaluronic Acid - The Natural Face Lift?
If So What Is It and What Does It Do?In Yuzuri Hara, a village in Japan, ten percent of the population is 85 or older. Diseases of aging, such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's, are virtually unknown.
Illness - What Can We do About it?
Illness concerns everyone. How can we approach it? And what is the reason behind illness? Whether you need to stay well or get well, lifestyle changes are essential to help you win the fight against illness.
Constipation Remedy Using Apples and Other Juices
Here are two constipation remedies that you can use for a mild case of constipation and for a chronic case of constipation.Apple and Pear JuiceIf you have a mild case of constipation, you can use this remedy to get results.
Drugstore Hemorrhoid Medications
There are many drugstore and alternative Internet productsfor treating hemorrhoids. Most of the products are notmade to cure or eliminate hemorrhoids but to give youtemporary relief of itching, pain, swelling or bleeding.
When Humor Hurts, When Humor Heals
For some, it's a familiar scenario. You've been sitting for hours already in the stuffy boardroom.
Hypnosis
HYPNOSIS is a state of induced but conscious sleep through the process of suggestion. Hypnosis must be readily accepted by the subject in order for the hypnosis to be achieved.
Spring Cleaning with Nontoxic Cleaners
Spring cleaning goes beyond normal everyday cleaning. It's a major project of home revitalization: to make everything new by removing dust and dirt, to make sure everything is in good repair, and to put things in order, so that you will have everything in your household in working condition for the coming year.
Aromatherapy Favorites: Patchouli Essential Oil
Patchouli's History and UsesAh, Patchouli oil - people seem to love it or hate it. This well know essential oil has a somewhat deserved reputation as the scent of the Hippy generation (according to one source, it's use began as a mask for the odor of a particularly cherished herb), though it's traditional use dates back hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.
Reflexology & Meridian Therapy
Reflexology & Meridian Therapy are combined healing arts that utilize stimulation of the feet, hands, ears, and meridian lines to correspond with respective body parts and organs. By using reflexology & meridian therapy sessions together aids in stress relief, muscular tension, and improves blood circulation.
Far Infrared Sauna Technology Comes of Age
What exactly is infrared, or radiant heat? No need to worry - it has nothing to do with either ultraviolet radiation (which gives you a sunburn and damages your skin) or atomic radiation (the kind from a nuclear bomb).Radiant heat is simply a form of energy that heats objects directly through a process called conversion, without having to heat the air in between.

More Alternative Information:

Related Articles

How To Lower Cholesterol Without Prescription Drugs
Don't accept that prescription just yet. In most cases it's possible to take control of your cholesterol naturally, without the use of prescription drugs.
Do Magnets Work?
The scientific explanation behind magnet therapy is that the magnetic fields produced by magnets (generating electromagnetic current) penetrates the human body thereby affecting the functioning of individual cells and improve the various disorders by taking care of the entire body system. Precisely how the magnetic fields do this remains a mystery, but there are several hypotheses.
The Universal Calibration LatticeŽ - Your Own Personal Connection to the Universal Energy Source
Now is an incredible time to be on Earth. All of us in our divine wisdom agreed to be here doing the journey of human at this most auspicious time in the annals of humankind.
Detoxify Your Body and Treat Your Health Ailments
If you are like most of us, you're tired, maybe overweight, caffeine addicted and stressed out. You just don't feel your best.
Toxic Plastic Water Bottles
I recently received a question from one of my readers about the safety of drinking water from clear plastic water bottles. These bottles, made from Lexan polycarbonate resin (a plastic polymer), are widely used for single-serving sales to one-gallon of water in stores and home-delivery bottles.
Cause Of Stuttering
When a person has a stutter or a parent realises that their child is developing a stutter they often want to find out the cause.So what causes a stutter?The answer is many things can trigger someone starting to stutter.
Guide To Some Common Herbs That Heal
Herbs have long been an acceptable way to fight common ailments and while they should not take the place of medical advice, can be a great supplement to your current medical care. There are many common herbs that have healing properties which you may not even know about.
Can Tea Strengthen Your Bones?
It has long been said that caffeine is not good for building strong bones. In fact, drinking more than three caffeinated beverages a day is listed as a risk factor for developing Osteoporosis (porous bone).
Remedies for Asthma or Allergies
Remedies for Asthma or AllergiesA lot people have asthma. My daughter, 41 years, included.
Got a Headache? Painkillers Are NOT the Solution!
Say you had a stressful day at work, didn't get enough sleep the night before and as a result you've got a bad headache. What do you do? It's easy! You take good old Tylenol or other over-the-counter medicine.
Low Back Pain - Ayurvedic Management
Low back pain is one of the most common pain disorders today .It is a chronic condition characterized by a persistent dull or sharp pain per the lower back.
Natural Remedies For Treating a Cold
Sometimes it can be hard to escape that shivery feeling that happens when you get too cold. A good immediate remedy for this is to wrap yourself up in a douvet and stick a hairdryer up it, (making sure the air flow is not restricted) until you feel warmed up.
Allergy Control: Reducing Airborne Allergens in Your Home
Those who are plagued by allergies are always struggling to diminish those irritants that cause watery eyes, runny noses and rashes that sometimes translate into full-blown hives. These and other symptoms can be brought about by a number of contaminants that infiltrate the very air that people breathe within their own homes.
How Many Bowel Movements Should You Have Each Day?
Most doctors don't ask you about your regularity. They may think it is not important to have a bowel movement every day.
Health Benefits of Noni Juice
Noni Juice, Morinda CitrifoliaMorinda Citrifolia , a deciduos creeping vine with twining stems and white flowers which is native to Malaysia, Austrailia, and Polynesia, is gaining popularity in the west due to it's apparently wide ranging health benefits. Part of the Madder family, Morinda's thick, intertwined purple roots are harvested in the spring and fall for use in herbal medicine and to make the increasingly popular noni juice.
Alternative Medicine vs Conventional Medicine - Pt 2
In Part 1 we discussed the fact that alternative medicine (so called) was being used in ancient times long before conventional medicine came on the scene. It is interesting to note that there were not so many diseases plaguing mortals in those days.
Alternative Medicine & Herbal Preparations
Alternative medicine is gaining more attention every day. The idea that one can heal their body, prevent physical symptoms and even treat them - naturally - is very appealing.
Wild Medicine and Tansy Cakes
It started with the Tansy cakes. I had to ask myself 'Why would anyone eat anything so utterly disgusting in taste'? Chrysanthemum Vulgare is a common perennial in the British Isles and the name Tansy is said to be derived from the Greek 'athansia', meaning 'immortal'.
Health Benefits of Hemp Oil
Hemp oil has long been recognised as one of the most versatile and beneficial substances known to man. Derived from hemp seeds (a member of the achene family of fruits) it has been regarded as a superfood due to its high essential fatty acid content and the unique ratio of omega3 to omega6 and gamma linolenic acid (GLA) - 2:5:1.
Hypnotherapy and How it Can Help
Hypnotherapy is the process of using hypnosis to unlock the capacity of the unconscious mind to bring about therapeutic changes by modifying deeply-held assumptions, fears and misconceptions.The issues that prompt people to turn to hypnotherapy for assistance include:ˇ Phobiasˇ Pain managementˇ Panic attacksˇ Performance enhancementˇ Habits - e.