Understanding the Person in Pain

Pain doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It lives in a person—with a past, a body, and a story.

Too often, pain is treated like a problem to be solved outside of the person experiencing it. But real understanding only happens when we see the whole person—not just their symptoms.

Pain Is Biopsychosocial, Not Just Biomedical

Pain science teaches us that pain is influenced by:

• Sensory input

• Beliefs and emotions

• Social context and meaning (Gatchel et al., 2007)

That means two people with the same injury can experience radically different levels of pain—because their life circumstances, histories, and coping tools are different.

The Nervous System Is Personal

Your nervous system learns from:

• Trauma

• Support

• Validation or dismissal

• Cultural norms

Pain is shaped by all of it. That’s why healing isn’t just about the right diagnosis—it’s about the right relationship (Craig, 2009).

We Can’t Separate Pain From Identity

Pain changes how people:

• Move

• Work

• Parent

• Socialize

• See themselves

Understanding pain means understanding the human who is adapting to it.

Their hopes. Their fears. Their narrative.

When we connect with that person, not just their condition, we don’t just treat—we help them reclaim agency (Bourke, 2014).

Final Thought

Pain isn’t a detached experience. It’s embedded in who we are.

To truly understand it, we must do more than analyze—it requires witnessing.

Because every person in pain carries a story. And every story deserves to be heard.

References

1. Gatchel, R. J., Peng, Y. B., Peters, M. L., et al. (2007). The biopsychosocial approach to chronic pain: scientific advances and future directions. Psychological Bulletin, 133(4), 581–624.

2. Craig, K. D. (2009). The social communication model of pain. Canadian Psychology, 50(1), 22–32.

3. Bourke, J. (2014). The Story of Pain: From Prayer to Painkillers. Oxford University Press.