A back pain dream is a common experience for patients who are currently suffering from mindbody symptom-generating syndromes. However, many patients with purely physical and structural issues may have these disturbing occurrences, as well. When you sleep, your mind and body are under the complete control of your subconscious. The subconscious mind produces dreams as an expression of repressed and hidden hopes, fears, desires, thoughts, feelings and emotions. These emotionally charged issues are often the same feelings responsible for the creation of psychosomatic back pain.
It is no surprise that an intense dream can bring about powerful waves of pain and back spasm immediately upon waking up. Other patients actually dream about their back hurting them and wake with palpable discomfort. This happens to me occasionally and is one of my most dreaded nighttime back ache events.
What is Back Pain Dream?
Dreaming is a way for your mind to release pent up repressed thoughts and feelings. Think of it as a control valve that is needed to allow the escape of emotional issues under tremendous pressure. Dreams are usually subconscious phenomenon and remain there, hidden from the conscious mind. Sometimes however, the dream is so powerful that it leaks into the conscious mind, allowing the memory of the dream to remain upon waking.
If this memory is particularly painful or dangerous to the individual’s consciousness, it is common for the subconscious mind to immediately induce an acute attack of back pain. This experience is shared by many patients suffering with a variety of persistent dorsalgia conditions.
Some patients demonstrate so much fear about the condition of their spines that they regularly have nightmares about back ache. When these dreams are very realistic and remain in the consciousness, waking with symptoms is very common. Unfortunately, these pains can sometimes endure for hours, days or even weeks after a terrible nightmarish dream.
Back Pain Dream Agony
Waking up in a state of pain and spasm is one of the worst experiences a patient can ever endure. Not only is the physical pain excruciating, but it conveys a sense of dread and apprehension over sleep to the already worried patient. If the patient fears sleeping back pain, there is no doubt that their health will diminish even further and they can wind up with a variety of serious constitutional concerns.
Worst of all, if the patient does not understand that their back pain may be caused by a psychological condition, they may go about all manner of ridiculous ways of trying to sleep better. This may include spending huge sums of money on new pillows, mattresses and other products. Meanwhile, the nighttime symptoms are usually part of the fear process, regardless of whether a structural reason for pain exists or not.
Remember, the body is designed to relax during sleep and it is unlikely to suffer anatomically-induced pain while at rest. However, when the subconscious takes charge, the possibility of suffering emotionally-induced back pain due to conscious fear or subconscious emotional issues is very, very likely.
Some patients suffer terrible anxiety that their back pain is getting worse and will now not even allow them to get their much needed rest. This feeling can be just as bad as the pain itself.
Interpretation of a Back Pain Dream
Dream interpretation is a valuable part of a psychotherapy program. Back pain dreams do have meaning and that meaning can often be determined by a professional who is trained in dream therapy. Understanding your dreams is a great way to lead you to the issues which are potentially causing psychosomatic pain syndromes. The emotional issues are obviously exploding from their subconscious prison by invading the peace of your sleep and dreams.
It is advisable to pursue these pieces of your hidden subconscious to finally get to the bottom of why they are troubling your mind and causing your psychogenic physical pain. It might be a tough process, but it is crucial to come to terms with these issues and end your mindbody symptoms once and for all. This is less relevant for people with anatomically-motivated pain, but may still be helpful if the patient feels that their emotional state is a contributor or exacerbator of symptoms (and of course, it always is).
Dreaming About Back Pain
If you have experienced back ache related to dreaming, there is a very good chance that your symptoms may be of mindbody origin. Dreams that leave physical symptoms of any type are usually clues to the psychological reasons for these symptoms to occur.
Dreams are not literal and often use symbolism to express their hidden agenda. It might be necessary to consult with a professional dream interpreter to fully understand the meaning and power of your pain-enacting dreams. Dreams themselves should not cause physical pain syndromes to get worse. However, fear of these conditions may express itself in dreams and lead to psychological overlay of pain.
If your doctor has diagnosed a physical reason for your pain, yet you still experience dream related back pain, you must consider the chance that you have been misdiagnosed. In this case, think of the painful dream as a blessing in disguise. At least now you know that your pain is not what you thought it to be and you can finally get on the correct path towards successful back pain treatment.
Once you heal your psychological wounds, you will be able to sleep again with no more fear of back pain dreams ever again.
