When I had cholecystitis for two years and stubbornly put off a cholecystectomy, during the several attacks I suffered (which I’ve read exceed the pain of childbirth by a significant factor, no doubt because the pain is unrelenting and can last for many hours if not days) there were a couple of desperate occasions where in addition to engaging in primal scream therapy I also banged my head against the wall once or twice.Joe Guy wrote: ↑Thu Aug 26, 2021 10:32 pmYeah, I've known two people who developed shingles. One guy (my neighbor who was in his 80s) got it on his scalp and told me he was in such pain that he would sometimes bang his head against the wall. I have no idea how that helped him. The other person - a woman - had it on her back and said it was the worst pain (and burning sensation) that she had ever experienced.
There is no sense involved in the psychological response to extreme pain, but I think some misguided notion of redirecting or controlling the pain is at the root of that. Migraineurs and cluster (suicide) headache sufferers have been known to maim or kill themselves in the throes of extreme head pain.