In Good Health // Can Your Personality Be Causing Your Pain?

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering why your body seems to be carrying more tension, more pain, or more unexplained symptoms than others, you’re not alone.

As someone who has worked with countless clients dealing with chronic pain, I’ve found a fascinating and often overlooked connection: your personality type could be playing a role in the pain you feel.

// The Learned Response of Pain

Many people believe that pain is a purely physical experience. A direct result of injury or illness. However, recent neuroscience breakthroughs show that most chronic pain results from the brain misinterpreting safe messages from the body as if they were dangerous. Research has found that the brain has the power to generate pain even in the absence of physical damage. Your brain can create a habit of pain to cope with difficult emotions that were never fully processed. Over time, this cycle can become so ingrained that your body automatically responds with pain, even in the absence of any physical threat.

What’s even more interesting is that these personality types can signal a perceived threat to the brain — not a physical threat, but an emotional one. The brain can't always tell the difference, so it responds as if there's real danger, triggering a pain response.

I recently had the opportunity to discuss this on a radio show, where I explored the link between personality traits and chronic pain. You can check out the interview here if you’re curious.

// How Personality Types Fuel Chronic Pain

Certain personality types are more prone to repressing emotions, internalizing stress, and developing chronic pain as a result. If you resonate with any of these traits, your pain may not be as purely physical as you think:

The People Pleaser: If you're always putting others first, afraid to say no, and thrive on external validation, your body might be using pain as a way to express the boundaries you struggle to set verbally.

The Perfectionist: If mistakes feel like failures and you’re constantly holding yourself to impossible standards, repressed frustration or feelings of inadequacy can manifest as physical tension and pain.

The Empath: If you deeply feel the emotions of others and struggle to distinguish their pain from your own, your nervous system can become overstimulated, contributing to chronic pain.

The High Achiever: If your self-worth is tied to your productivity and success, the stress of constantly 'doing more' can lead to a cycle of burnout and pain.

The Worrier: If you’re always anticipating the worst, your body may be in a state of perpetual fight-or-flight, resulting in symptoms like headaches, muscle tension, and digestive issues.

The Self-Sacrificer: If you often take on too much, putting yourself last, your pain may be a signal from your body begging you to stop, rest, and prioritize your own needs.

// Breaking the Cycle

Acknowledging the emotional component of pain doesn’t mean it’s “all in your head.” Your pain is very real, but the good news is that if it’s learned, it can also be unlearned. By understanding how your personality type might contribute to chronic pain, you can start to disrupt the cycle:

Feel Your Emotions: Instead of burying emotions, learn to express them healthily — whether through journaling, talking to someone you trust, or working with a therapist.

Set Boundaries: Practice saying no, even if it feels uncomfortable. Remember, your needs matter.

Self-Compassion: Recognize that it's okay not to be perfect. Give yourself grace and prioritize rest.

If this resonates with you and you'd like to explore whether your personality type is contributing to your chronic pain, click here to take my free self-assessment, “Is Your Pain Curable?”. In just a few minutes, you'll gain insight into whether your pain might be a learned response, and if it’s something you can overcome.

The journey to healing chronic pain through understanding your emotions and personality is powerful, and it's possible. If you want to learn more about how to break free from pain, feel free to reach out, I’d love to support you on your journey.

// Gemma Mcfall, Pain Reprocessing Therapist