What if we've misunderstood pain all along?
... the medicine of feeling!
"The wound is the place where the Light enters you." — Rumi
In our modern world, we have declared war on pain. Pharmaceutical companies promote immediate relief, wellness influencers offer endless techniques to "overcome suffering," and cultural messaging reinforces that discomfort of any kind is an unnecessary burden to be eliminated. Implicit in this approach is a subtle but pervasive belief: we are above pain. We are smart enough, advanced enough, and resourceful enough to silence this unwelcome messenger.
But what if this perspective isn't wisdom but hubris? What if pain—both physical and emotional—serves a purpose far more profound than we've been willing to consider?
The Humbling Nature of Pain
One purpose of pain that rarely receives acknowledgment is its capacity to humble us. Pain reminds us that despite our technological advances and intellectual achievements, we remain embodied beings subject to the same fundamental laws that govern all of life.
When pain arrives—whether through injury, illness, loss, or emotional wounding—it punctures the illusion of invulnerability we carefully maintain. It reminds us that we are not, in fact, above the Creator, even though there exists an underlying belief that we are, or at the very least, that we can outwit Life, Nature, Consciousness, or whatever name we give to the organizing intelligence of existence.
This humbling isn't punishment but invitation—a sacred call to remember our place within the greater whole.
Reunion Through Feeling
For over forty years, I've immersed myself in the study of pharmacology, epigenetics, essential oil constituents, psychology, and spirituality. This journey began and continues because on some level despite the science, I've always known that nothing is truly separate, despite our attempts as a species to separate ourselves from the Source of our Life.
Through this exploration, I've come to recognize that pain forces us to feel. Not as punishment, but as a tool for not just learning but union with the Creator. Pain breaks through our defenses and brings us face-to-face with our embodied reality, creating an opening where deeper awareness can enter.
This understanding transforms how we approach pain. Rather than seeing it as an enemy to vanquish, we might recognize it as a difficult but necessary teacher guiding us toward wholeness.
Recovery as Returning to Consciousness
The word "recovery" literally means "to regain consciousness." We typically use this term to describe someone waking after being knocked unconscious, but nothing in language happens accidentally. The Creator/Consciousness consistently communicates with and through us; therefore, this word carries deeper significance than we initially perceive.
Whether we're recovering from addiction, trauma, physical or emotional pain, we're being drawn inward to reunite with the Creator—to feel and become present with All that Lights us so that we may heal. Regaining Consciousness means remembering this Divine union.
The Human aspect of us works diligently to ensure the organism survives, but…we cannot thrive without coming together with the Being—the richness of Presence that guides us to embodying what we came here to be:
Presence incarnated
When Avoidance Becomes Separation
To avoid pain—whether obstacles, challenges, or intense hardship—often means going against our best interest. We are, in essence, avoiding the very part of ourselves that will help us flourish.
As the saying goes, "Where there's a Will, there's a Way." But what if pain itself is the Way? Not pain sought for its own sake, but pain as the doorway through which we must pass to access deeper levels of consciousness and connection.
This isn't to suggest we shouldn't take care of ourselves or seek appropriate relief. Rather, it's an invitation to approach pain with reverence for its purpose instead of immediate rejection of its presence.
The Body-Mind Connection in Pain
The neurochemistry of physical pain matches that of emotional pain. This biological reality reveals the profound truth that body and mind are not separate systems but aspects of a unified whole. When there is a physical injury causing pain, emotional distress often escalates unless the physical pain is addressed.
Unfortunately, many of the medications used to minimize physical pain affect us mentally and emotionally, making it harder to maintain clarity of mind. In fact, the word "mental" not only means "of mind" but also includes "of spirit," making the mind the pathway to Consciousness.
Herein lies the paradox: the very solutions we've devised to address pain often further separate us from the consciousness we're seeking to regain. The medications that numb physical sensation frequently cloud the very awareness needed for true healing.
Essential Oils: Bridging the Divide
This is where genuine essential oils offer a profound alternative that can be integrated into allopathic protocols. Many essential oils contain constituents with neuroprotective properties that, when properly and safely used, help a person feel without necessarily hurting.
As a Clinical Neuroaromatherapist with decades of study in this field, I've witnessed the remarkable capacity of these plant compounds to:
Reduce inflammation without suppressing awareness
Support neurological function while maintaining clarity
Address pain while enhancing rather than diminishing presence
Facilitate emotional processing without numbing emotional capacity
Support the body's natural healing mechanisms rather than overriding them
These natural compounds work with our biology rather than against it, recognizing that feeling—truly feeling—is essential to healing. Feeling to heal is feeling the connection with the Creator. Conventional medications don't provide this access. Essential oils, used knowledgeably and respectfully, can.
A New Paradigm for Pain
What might shift in our healing journey if we approached pain not as an enemy to eliminate but as a sacred messenger guiding us toward greater wholeness?
This doesn't mean embracing suffering for its own sake or rejecting appropriate medical care. Rather, it suggests holding pain within a larger context of meaning—recognizing its potential role in our spiritual and emotional development.
Consider these possibilities:
1. Pain as Compass Rather than immediately silencing pain, we might first ask: "What is this trying to show me? Where is it guiding my attention?" Pain often points precisely to the areas requiring our conscious awareness.
2. Pain as Teacher Each experience of pain carries specific lessons unique to our journey. The burning sensation of inflammation teaches different wisdom than the ache of grief, yet both contain valuable information about our needs and nature.
3. Pain as Connector Our vulnerability in pain can open us to deeper connections with others and with the source of life itself. When defenses drop away, genuine intimacy becomes possible.
4. Pain as Transformer The journey through pain, rather than around it, often catalyzes profound transformation that wouldn't otherwise occur. Many spiritual traditions recognize suffering as the precursor to awakening.
The Integrated Approach
An integrated approach to pain honors both its message and our need for functioning. It might include:
1. Conscious Assessment Taking time to be present with pain before automatically reaching to eliminate it. What information does it carry? What is it asking for?
2. Appropriate Support Using modalities that address pain while preserving consciousness—including properly selected essential oils, mindfulness practices, and when necessary, judicious use of complementary and / or conventional treatments.
3. Spiritual Context Holding the experience within a framework that sees pain not as meaningless suffering but as potentially meaningful passage.
4. Community Witness Sharing our pain with others who can bear witness without rushing to fix, allowing the social connection that often facilitates deeper healing.
Join Me in Rewiring Your Story
You’ve worked too hard to let pain or shame put a ‘lid’ on your life. You’re not broken—you’re ready to experience fulfillment, strength, and belonging. Join my 6-month Reclaim Your Fire with Aromatic Neural Integration course to discover how easy it is to live as YOU. You’ll be part of a community of others like you, ready to thrive, supported by science and a shared vision to change how the world sees pain. Don’t let the struggles of today steal the vibrant tomorrow you deserve. Visit Revolutionary Aromatherapy to learn more and start your journey today. Together, we’ll redefine pain and free others to feel alive.
About the Author: Tammy L. Davis is a Clinical Neuroaromatherapist with over 40 years of experience in pharmacology, epigenetics, the study of essential oil constituents, psychology, and spirituality. Her work bridges scientific understanding with spiritual wisdom to support natural healing processes.
The Wild Heart's Wisdom
Your wild heart already understands pain's purpose. Beneath cultural conditioning and learned aversions, your being recognizes pain as a natural aspect of the human journey—not a punishment or failure but a pathway through which wisdom, compassion, and deeper consciousness emerge.
In your wild heart sanctuary, all experiences—including pain—are welcomed as messengers bearing gifts, even when those gifts come wrapped in challenging packages.
As you navigate your own experiences of discomfort, consider what shifts when you approach pain not as an enemy to vanquish but as a sacred guide leading you home to your essential nature—to the consciousness that is your birthright and the presence that is your true identity.
How has pain served as a teacher in your life? What shifts when you approach discomfort as messenger rather than enemy? We invite you to share your reflections in our community forum or at our next gathering.
Remember, in your wild heart sanctuary, even the most difficult experiences are honored for their role in your sacred journey home to self.