Clients often say, “It feels like a punch in the gut” or “like my chest is breaking.” These aren’t just metaphors. Emotional pain and physical pain share pathways in the brain.
The Overlap in the Brain
Neuroscience shows that rejection, loss, and social pain activate the anterior cingulate cortex — the same region that lights up with physical injury. That’s why heartbreak hurts.
What This Means for Healing
- Validate it: You’re not imagining things. Emotional pain is real pain.
- Treat it with care: Just as you’d rest a sprain, your psyche needs gentleness, time, and support.
- Integrate body work: Since pain registers physically, somatic practices — breathing, grounding, even safe touch — help recovery.
Reframe
When your heart hurts, remember: your body isn’t lying. It’s showing you that emotional wounds deserve the same compassion as physical ones.
