Should you kill your pain? Have you ever wondered if pain could actually be useful? It can be easy to think of pain as the enemy, something that you need to push away, or silence. But what if instead of shutting it down, you could learn to tell the difference between pain that guides you and moves you forward and pain that holds you back?
I’m Savannah Alalia and you’re listening to the High Functioning Human podcast where you connect yourself as a high functioning human. In the last episode, I spoke about understanding pain, why it works, how it exists, and how to connect to your fascia. Today, let’s take that further. Let’s explore the difference between good pain and bad pain and ask the big question, “Should You Always Kill Your Pain?”
So the idea of good pain might sound a little bit out there, but stay with me on this. If pain is a messenger, which we all know it is, think of good pain as a sign of progress, whilst bad pain signals a problem. The biggest question is, how do you tell the difference?
Bad pain means that you need to stop what you’re doing, that something is wrong and therefore needs your attention immediately, right now. And this could mean you have an injury or you’re overloaded with toxins, or it could be part of your body where the fascia is so stuck that it’s unable to release yet. Yes, one type of bad pain happens when you, or someone else, works on an area that’s just too stuck. And what do I mean by too stuck? Because obviously all of our bodies get stuck in different ways.
So I’m going to tell you more about that in a second. You might think, “What? This is where the pain is. So that must be where the problem is. Let’s focus on that.” But in reality, it may be too soon that things might be so stuck in that area and you need to actually go somewhere else first. Recognising that this might be the case is important because you can actually really hurt yourself otherwise.
I’ve actually experienced this myself, and as someone who’s pretty hypermobile, it can be tricky to unpick. There have been times when practitioners have worked on my arms or legs, but because of the twists that were in them and they were visible, and that’s what seemed obvious, that’s where they worked. But the pain was agonising and there was no real change from what they did. And the reason for that was because the root cause of the issue was actually, at the time, elsewhere in my body, completely and entirely. And it was pulling and twisting everything out of alignment, including my limbs. Until those deeper layers were addressed, working on the surface level was completely ineffective and yet still incredibly painful. So that’s what I’m talking about when I’m talking about bad pain.
This is why it can be so helpful to spend some time in Your Body’s History before you start some of that deeper work to really uncover the pains narrative. Your past injuries, patterns and compensations all shape where that pain shows up in you. Unless you’re actively engaging in your own body, the same patterns and pains will just keep recurring and this is something I focus on in great detail in my Your Face Symmetry 2 program. Understanding the pain story is often the key to identifying the order in which you need to work on things.
As much as practitioners can help with this process, finding the right approach is a personal thing and you are the only person in your body. You are the one who can listen to the messages to feel the difference between that good and bad pain.
Another form of bad pain can be when your system is unprepared for the deeper work, as a whole. Adequate hydration plays a huge role in fascia release and that preparedness. Your lymphatic system needs to be able to flow so that it can clear out toxins as they release from your stuck tissues. When your lymph is dehydrated and gunky, then working on your fascia can feel super uncomfortable and in a bad pain kind of way.
So let’s stay on toxins for a moment and talk about those. Because in reality, the environment that we are living in is putting a silent pressure on your body that is far greater than ever before in human history. Your body is naturally capable of eliminating a lot of those toxins all by itself, but your systems need to be working properly and our sedentary lifestyles make that a lot harder.
For example, you need to make sure that your colon is moving properly in order to eliminate the toxins in your system regularly. Your liver needs to be feeling fabulous and your kidneys need to be at their best. In reality, for some of the more heavy duty environmental toxins, you may need to look at taking certain supplements, like Zeolite, to support your body in removing things like heavy metals and other stored toxins. For me, this was a huge part of my process because I was actually exposed to mercury in utero and it was only when I worked at removing those heavy metals later in life that certain parts of my body finally released after being stuck for years. I’ll link the protocol I used below, and still use, if you’re curious. This toxic overload is often why things like basic massage, for example, can be incredibly uncomfortable. So it’s definitely something to address if you feel like it may be an issue for you, for example, if you touch yourself and it feels like everything hurts, that is a sign. Getting things clean and open is like clearing the information pathways, which also makes it easier for you to assess your body and to know what it needs next.
So if bad pain is a warning, what does good pain feel like? Good pain is like the sensation of opening. It is the discomfort that comes when something shifts in the right direction. Instead of feeling like a block, it feels like movement. Instead of shutting you down, it keeps you engaged, even though you can still be uncomfortable. This pain has a completely different kind of energy. It is active, alive. It’s guiding you forward, and it almost feels like it’s showing you a pathway in your body. And this can be the difference between forcing things and allowing them to slowly open.
There’s a fine line between still stimulating your body to release and pushing it into shutdown. Too much pressure too soon can overwhelm your nervous system, making that release that you’re looking for almost impossible. On the other hand, being too gentle can actually delay change, which can of course be frustrating. So it’s important to listen to your body to find that balance.
Choosing to engage with good pain really takes courage, because shifting what’s become your new normal can actually be quite uncomfortable. That’s because passive pain is often easier to accept than active pain. And this is especially true for people who have been in pain for a really long time. Because your pain tolerance builds and the more likely you are then to ignore serious issues. Plus, things can go numb and you perhaps are able then to ignore that it’s even there. And it’s that tolerance that will build and build and build. And some people call that ageing. Little do they know.
Choosing that good active pain is about surrendering and staying attentive. You know you’re going to be in pain anyway, so you allow the evolution of that pain. When you’re willing to explore the pain and you begin to start to learn the language of pain, you get to experience the feeling of deep decompression that comes when something releases.
I’ll take a moment here to say that you also obviously know that pain is more than physical. Emotional pain is as valid as physical pain. It’s also often assigned to signal that something is wrong. In fact, often good pain specifically can come with an emotional response. And I’ve spoken about this a lot when it comes to thought knots in the past and how the physical and the emotional can get tied together in your body. Take a listen if you want to learn something more about this, I’ll pop a link below.
So back to the question, “Should you kill your pain?” Well, instead of thinking of pain as something to destroy, think of it as something to understand. Your body speaks through sensation. The goal is to listen, interpret and respond in a way that supports your body. The journey you’re taking through and beyond pain is to reach a place where you can engage movement, more articulation and mobilization of your joints and body. And when you engage with pain, instead of resisting it, you create space. My favourite thing, space for something new. You move beyond stuckness, beyond tension, into a body that feels free and responsive.
If you’re ready to start this journey, Your Face Symmetry 1, which is my program, is a great place to begin. It’s just seven days and you’ll introduce yourself to the power of fascia release. And when you’re ready, you can go on further to Your Face Symmetry 2 and 3, which will guide you through the next level, unlocking patterns held in your body history. You’ll find all the details below if you’re interested.
Now, take the first step, your body is waiting.
Remember, trust your instincts. Stay curious about the sensations in your body because the world needs your voice and the magic that it brings to us all.
Jump on my mailing list to stay reminded and connected with your intuition. And some special things that I really only share in email.
I look forward to chatting with you next time on the High Functioning Human podcast. Take care and talk soon.
As always, I remain a cheerleader for your inner self-worth,
