The Pain You Can't Explain: Why Emotions Become Physical Symptoms

Join Dr. James Odell for Season 2 of the Science of Self-Healing Podcast! He's the medical and executive director for BRMI, as well as a practicing naturopathic doctor for over 35 years, and he's here to share with you his extensive knowledge of medicine from a different perspective.

The Bioregulatory Medicine Institute

The Science of Self-Healing Podcast

Have you ever wondered why chronic pain, digestive issues, or persistent fatigue won't go away—even when all your medical tests come back normal? The answer might lie not in your body alone, but in the emotions you've been carrying for years without knowing it.

In this eye-opening episode of The Science of Self-Healing, we explore the fascinating and often overlooked connection between suppressed emotions and physical symptoms. Drawing on cutting-edge research in psychoneuroimmunology and mind-body medicine, you'll discover how unexpressed anger can manifest as jaw pain and headaches, how grief constricts your breathing, and why chronic stress literally reshapes your immune system.

This isn't about dismissing your symptoms as "all in your head"—it's about understanding that your body is brilliantly intelligent. When emotions have no safe outlet, your body creates one. Those persistent aches, that exhaustion that never lifts, the digestive issues that baffle your doctors—they're not failures of your body. They're messages.

You'll learn:

• Why emotional suppression is a survival strategy learned in childhood—and why it stops working in adulthood

• The specific physical symptoms associated with different suppressed emotions

• How trauma locks your nervous system into "freeze" or "collapse" modes that create chronic symptoms

• Why normal test results don't mean nothing is wrong—they mean you're dealing with dysregulation, not damage

• Practical pathways to healing through emotional integration, nervous system regulation, and somatic approaches

Whether you're struggling with unexplained symptoms yourself, supporting someone who is, or simply curious about the profound intelligence of the human body, this episode will change the way you think about pain, illness, and healing.

Transcript for: The Pain You Can't Explain: Why Emotions Become Physical Symptoms

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Science of Self-Healing podcast. For health and wellness knowledge from a different perspective. Produced by the Bioregulatory Medicine Institute, also known as BRMI. We are your source for unparalleled information about how you can naturally support your body's ability to regulate, adapt, regenerate, and self-heal. I'm your host, Dr. James Odell, the medical and executive director for BRMI, as well as a practicing naturopathic doctor for over 35 years. And remember, this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for the direct care of a qualified health professional who oversees and provides unique and individual care. The information here is to broaden our different perspectives and should not be construed as medical advice or treatment. Let's get started.

Introduction: When the Body Speaks What the Mind Cannot

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Science of Self Healing.

The human body is not simply a biological structure made of organs, tissues, and systems. It is also a living record of experience. Every emotion we have felt, every stress we have endured, and every moment we have survived leaves an imprint within us. While emotions are often treated as fleeting mental events, research across psychology, neuroscience, and integrative medicine reveals that emotions are also physiological processes. When emotions are ignored, minimized, or suppressed, they do not disappear. Instead, they find expression through the body.

Suppressed emotions often manifest as physical symptoms that appear unrelated on the surface. Chronic pain, digestive disturbances, autoimmune conditions, fatigue, muscle tension, headaches, and hormonal imbalances can arise not only from physical causes, but also from unresolved emotional experiences. These symptoms are real, measurable, and deeply embodied. They are not imagined or exaggerated responses. Rather, they represent the body's attempt to communicate what the mind has learned to silence.

Understanding how emotions and physical symptoms are connected allows us to view illness differently and more holistically. Instead of seeing the body as malfunctioning or broken, we begin to recognize symptoms as meaningful signals that invite deeper awareness and healing.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

So, in today's podcast, I'm going to walk you through the science behind the mind-body connection, explore why we suppress emotions in the first place, and examine how unprocessed emotions manifest as real physical symptoms like chronic pain, digestive issues, fatigue, and more. We'll also discuss what this means for healing and how to begin listening to what your body is trying to tell you.

The Scientific Foundation of the Mind–Body Connection

Let's start by exploring the scientific foundation that explains this connection.

For centuries, Conventional Western medicine separated the mind from the body, assigning emotions to psychology and physical symptoms to biology. This division is now widely recognized as incomplete. The body and mind are in constant communication, and emotional experiences directly influence physiological function.

Research in psychoneuroimmunology demonstrates that emotions affect the nervous system, the endocrine system, and the immune response simultaneously. When emotions such as fear, grief, anger, or shame are chronically suppressed, the body often remains in a prolonged state of sympathetic nervous system activation. This is commonly known as the fight-or-flight response. Over time, this state elevates cortisol levels, disrupts digestion and sleep, weakens immune resilience, increases inflammation, and alters pain perception.

The body does not distinguish between emotional and physical threats. Emotional stress activates the same survival pathways as physical danger. When emotional stress becomes chronic and unresolved, the body behaves as though danger is always present. This ongoing state of vigilance gradually erodes physiological balance and creates the conditions for physical symptoms to develop.

Emotions themselves are biological events. Each emotional state corresponds to changes in neurotransmitters, hormonal release, muscle activation, breathing patterns, and heart rate variability. Suppressing emotion requires continuous effort. Muscles tighten, breath becomes shallow, posture collapses, or braces, and nervous system tone shifts toward defense. When these adaptations persist over time, they solidify into chronic patterns that eventually present as pain, dysfunction, or illness.

Why Emotions Are Suppressed

Now, this leads us to an important question: why do we suppress emotions in the first place?

Emotional suppression is rarely a conscious decision. In most cases, it is a learned survival strategy developed early in life. Many people learn, directly or indirectly, that certain emotions are unsafe, unacceptable, or burdensome to others.

Childhood experiences often shape emotional expression. When a child is repeatedly told not to cry, not to be angry, or not to express fear, they learn to disconnect from those emotions in order to maintain attachment and safety. In environments where emotional expression is met with punishment, ridicule, neglect, or emotional withdrawal, suppression becomes a protective response.

Cultural expectations also reinforce emotional suppression. Productivity, politeness, emotional restraint, and self-sacrifice are often rewarded, while vulnerability and emotional honesty are discouraged. Many individuals suppress emotions to avoid conflict, rejection, or being perceived as weak. Over time, emotional suppression becomes automatic and unconscious.

Although suppression may have once been adaptive, especially in unsafe or unpredictable environments, it becomes problematic when the strategy continues long after the original threat has passed. What once protected the individual begins to harm the body.

The Body as a Storage System for Unprocessed Emotion

This brings us to a crucial understanding: the body actually serves as a storage system for unprocessed emotion.

When emotions are not consciously processed, they do not vanish. Instead, they are stored within the body through changes in muscle tone, connective tissue, organ function, and nervous system regulation. This process is not symbolic or metaphorical. It is physiological and observable.

Muscles often hold chronic tension related to restraint, defense, or unexpressed action. Fascia, the connective tissue surrounding muscles and organs, loses elasticity when exposed to prolonged stress and trauma. The digestive system, which contains its own extensive nervous network, responds strongly to emotional states such as fear and anxiety. The immune system interprets chronic emotional stress as a persistent threat and adapts accordingly.

Over time, the body may develop symptoms as a way to externalize emotional experiences that were never safely felt or expressed. Physical symptoms become the body's language when emotional language has been silenced.

Chronic Pain and Muscular Tension

Let's look at some specific examples of how this manifests, starting with chronic pain and muscular tension.

Chronic pain and muscle tension are among the most common manifestations of suppressed emotion. Areas such as the neck, shoulders, jaw, lower back, and hips frequently hold tension that has emotional roots. This tension is often associated with suppressed anger, resentment, fear of expression, or chronic emotional burden.

Anger activates large muscle groups and prepares the body for movement or defense. When anger is consistently inhibited, the body remains braced in a state of readiness without release. Over time, this creates pain, stiffness, headaches, and jaw dysfunction. Many individuals with chronic pain are not aggressive or outwardly angry, but rather deeply restrained and emotionally contained.

Digestive Disorders and Emotional Suppression

Moving along to another common manifestation, let's discuss digestive disorders and their connection to emotional suppression.

The digestive system is particularly sensitive to emotional states. Conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, bloating, reflux, nausea, and abdominal pain are frequently associated with anxiety, fear, shame, and chronic stress. The gut's nervous system communicates directly with the brain and responds immediately to perceived threats.

Individuals with digestive disorders often exhibit heightened emotional sensitivity, conflict avoidance, or a strong desire to maintain harmony. Suppressing emotional reactions disrupts gut motility, enzyme secretion, and microbial balance. Over time, the digestive system begins to reflect the internal emotional environment.

Fatigue, Burnout, and Emotional Depletion

Next, let's turn our attention to fatigue, burnout, and emotional depletion.

Chronic fatigue and burnout often arise when emotional energy is consistently expended without restoration. Suppressed grief, long-term people-pleasing, emotional vigilance, and the inability to rest emotionally all contribute to exhaustion. Carrying unexpressed emotion requires significant metabolic energy.

When the body reaches its limit, it down-regulates energy production as a protective measure. Fatigue, brain fog, low motivation, and emotional numbness are not signs of laziness or weakness. They are signals that the system has been overextended for too long.

Headaches and Migraines

Another common physical manifestation worth examining is headaches and migraines.

Headaches and migraines frequently reflect patterns of over-control, perfectionism, mental overload, and suppressed stress. Many individuals with chronic headaches push through emotional and physical limits, ignoring internal cues for rest, expression, or boundary-setting.

The tension associated with maintaining constant cognitive and emotional control often accumulates in the head, neck, and jaw. When emotional pressure has no outlet, it manifests physically through pain.

Autoimmune and Inflammatory Conditions

Now, let's explore a more complex category: autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.

Autoimmune and inflammatory conditions are complex and multifactorial, but emotional suppression can contribute to immune dysregulation. Chronic emotional stress keeps the nervous system in a state of threat, which alters immune signaling and inflammatory responses.

Many individuals with autoimmune conditions have histories of long-term stress, internalized conflict, self-criticism, or early trauma. The immune system, designed to protect, becomes confused when the body never fully exits survival mode.

Breath, Grief, and Emotional Constriction

There's also a profound connection between breath, grief, and emotional constriction that's important to understand.

Breathing patterns often reveal emotional states. Suppressed grief and sadness frequently present as shallow breathing, chest tightness, or frequent sighing. When emotions feel unsafe to express, the breath becomes restricted.

Grief that is not acknowledged does not resolve. Instead, it lingers in the chest and lungs, creating both emotional and physical constriction. Restoring full, natural breathing often requires emotional permission to feel and release what has been held.

Trauma and the Nervous System

This leads us to consider the role of trauma and how it affects the nervous system.

Trauma plays a significant role in emotional suppression and physical symptoms. When the nervous system experiences overwhelming stress without resolution, it adapts by reducing sensation and emotional awareness. This can result in freeze or collapse responses rather than fight or flight.

Individuals living in freeze may experience numbness, dissociation, brain fog, and chronic tension. Those in collapse often experience fatigue, depression, and low motivation. In both states, emotions are not consciously felt because the nervous system prioritizes survival. Physical symptoms become the primary outlet for unresolved experience.

Why Symptoms Persist Despite Normal Test Results

At this point, you might be wondering why symptoms persist despite normal test results. Let's address that.

Many individuals with psychosomatic symptoms are told that nothing is wrong because medical tests return normal results. This can feel invalidating and confusing. However, functional symptoms are not imaginary. They reflect dysregulation rather than structural damage.

The nervous system, muscles, hormones, and immune responses may be locked into outdated patterns shaped by emotional experience. Without addressing these patterns, physical treatments alone often provide only temporary relief.

Listening to the Body's Signals

So, how do we approach this differently? By learning to listen to the body's signals.

In mind–body medicine, symptoms are not viewed as enemies but as communication. A symptom often reflects an unmet emotional need, an unspoken boundary, or a truth that has not been acknowledged.

When symptoms are suppressed or ignored, the underlying emotional suppression is reinforced. Healing begins when symptoms are approached with curiosity rather than resistance.

Healing Through Emotional Integration

This brings us to the heart of the matter: healing through emotional integration.

Healing does not require forcing emotional expression or reliving traumatic experiences. Instead, it involves creating safety within the body so that emotions can arise naturally and resolve.

Somatic approaches that focus on body awareness, gentle movement, and nervous system regulation allow emotions to be processed without overwhelm. Emotional integration practices such as mindful journaling, sensation-based awareness, and emotional literacy help reconnect the mind and body.

Rest, sleep, breath regulation, and reducing overstimulation are essential components of nervous system healing. When the body learns that it is safe to feel, physical symptoms often begin to soften.

Reframing Illness as Communication

Finally, let's consider how we can reframe illness itself as a form of communication.

When illness is reframed as communication rather than failure, shame dissolves. The body is not betraying us. It is responding intelligently to conditions it perceives as threatening.

Suppressed emotions are not a sign of weakness. They often reflect resilience developed in difficult circumstances. Healing involves honoring that resilience while allowing the body to release what it no longer needs to hold.

Conclusion: The Body Remembers What the Mind Avoids

As we close today's episode, I want to leave you with this thought: the body remembers what the mind avoids.

Emotions can be ignored temporarily, but they cannot be erased. When emotions are repeatedly suppressed, the body eventually speaks on their behalf. Physical symptoms are not punishments. They are invitations to listen, to slow down, and to reconnect with parts of ourselves that were silenced for survival.

The body never lies. When emotions are allowed to move, the body no longer needs to express them through pain. True healing occurs when the conversation between the emotional self and the physical body is restored.

Thank you for your time today, and remember that this podcast is made possible by the Bioregulatory Medicine Institute, also known as BRMI, a nonprofit, global, non political, non commercial institute to promote the science and art of bioregulatory medicine. We extend our gratitude to each and every one of you for listening today, and if you haven't already, make sure to visit us at brmi.online. A treasure trove of invaluable information awaits you there. Connect with us across various social media platforms as well. Come and become a member of our thriving tribe. If you've enjoyed today's episode, we invite you to show your support by rating us, leaving us a review, or sharing the podcast within your circle. Our podcast and mission flourish through sharing, and your participation means the world to us. Our organization is sustained by donations, each of which is tax deductible and fuels projects like this. Visit our website, brmi.online, to contribute or simply to explore the wealth of uncensored and impartial information we offer. No contribution is too small. In just two weeks, we'll be back delving into another captivating topic. Until then, we thank you once again for listening. May wellness and wisdom be your path. Be well.

Bioregulatory medicine is a total body (and mind) approach to health and healing that aims to help facilitate and restore natural human biological processes. It is a proven, safe, gentle, highly effective, drugless, and side-effect-free medical model designed to naturally support the body to regulate, adapt, regenerate, and self-heal. BRMI is a non-commercial 501(c)(3) foundation and will expand and flourish with your support. Our goal is to make bioregulatory medicine a household term.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for the direct care of a qualified health practitioner who oversees and provides unique and individualized care. The information provided here is to broaden our different perspectives and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.