Bābel (2017) suggests that past pain influences perceptions of current pain
Bābel (2017) suggests that any pain encountered in the past has a significant influence on successive perceptions of pain. The amount of pain one experiences at the moment can be alleviated by some kind of pain endured previously. An instance of medical procedures is given by Bābel (2017). In his work, he notes that due to the encounters they have had before with similar procedures, certain patients dread performing such procedures. Patients need to realize that there will not always be the same pain level for two identical procedures. However, an individual's subconscious may replicate the pain of a previous event into the situation at hand. Accuracy of memory of pain is a very critical factor in clinical practice as well as research on pain. Research shows that the actual pain experienced in a particular incident may not be remembered exactly as it is. Individuals tend to express the pain due to fear or suppress the pain in an attempt to appear courageous. There are several factors that may elevate or diminish the level of pain one experiences. One key factor is the beginning and commencing of the particular pain. If these two incidences were extremely painful, the subsequent incident is highly likely to be more painful. On the contrary, if these two incidences were not painful, one is likely to accept to have the same procedure done on them again, as they will not fear the pain. Another element is the duration that the pain lasted. If the pain took long, a patient will have a bad memory, and is likely to decline to have the same procedure repeated on him due to the bad memory of pain. Another key factor is the experience one had during the pain. Some pain episodes are associated with headaches, nausea or even vomiting. These episodes bring a bad memory and are likely to increase the level of pain in subsequent incidences.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine how pain experienced in the past by an individual may affect similar experiences in the future. Psychologists believe that there is more phantom pain than the actual pain itself. They claim that the pain experienced is greatly influenced by a number of factors. The main factor is the history of a previous record of pain. This research aims to investigate the effect of previous memories of pain on the current pain an individual experiences.
Methodology
To determine how pain experienced in one incident will affect subsequent experiences, the level of pain in a group of 414 women was examined. These women underwent three phases of diagnoses to help determine the level of successive pains. The average age of these women was 31 years. The participants were selected from different geographical areas. The level and intensity of the pain experienced during migraines and headaches were determined and recorded. The study was done in three phases. First, the women agreed to participate; second, they experienced pain, and the last phase was the study of the memory of the pain. Not all these women experienced migraines. Those who did not experience the pain did not undergo the second phase. Only 147 women were interrogated regarding their pain. The last phase was made up of women who experienced migraines. This phase was conducted about six months later.
Results
From the results, there was a clear indication that the type of headache an individual experienced had a significant impact on the level of pain. Patients who experienced migraines recorded severe headaches in the third phase. This is mainly because they linked the pain they experienced initially to the current pain. However, when diagnosed, it showed that not all these participants experienced severe headaches as they claimed. Patients who had recorded mild headaches managed to deal with their headaches positively. In fact, they claimed that the subsequent headaches were not severe. However, the patients who had not recorded any sort of pain recorded the lowest level of pain. This is mainly because these patients did not have a previous experience to look back to and reflect on the current level of pain.
Conclusion
From these findings, it is wise to conclude that the level of pain one experiences is highly influenced by a past experience. The first experience, therefore, has a great influence on the consecutive experiences one will have. If the first experience was not painful, then the following experiences will not have severe pain either. The patient will have adjusted to the level of pain in the first experience and will as such, link it to subsequent pains. The factors that elevate the level of pain need to be controlled if possible. For example, when undergoing a medical procedure that may be painful, medics need to try as much as possible to minimize the initial and final pain. Also, they need to decrease the length at which a certain procedure is carried out. In doing so, patients will not have bad pain memories of various procedures.
The impact of the first pain experience on subsequent pain levels
The first pain experienced by an individual has a great impact on the following level of pain. When there is no previous record of pain, the patient may experience little or no pain. However, if a patient is told of previous experiences by other people, it is likely to affect how they will experience the pain during their first encounter. Therefore, the memory of pain has a great impact on the phantom pain felt more than the actual pain being felt at the moment.
References
Bābel, P. (2017). Memory of pain and affect associated with migraine and non-migraine headaches. Retrieved on March 26, 2017, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2014.931975
