Most of us have been taught that pain is purely physical. If your knee hurts, it must be wear and tear. If you break a bone, it’s just an accident. If you develop an illness, it’s explained away by genetics or environment.

But what if your pain isn’t just physical at all?

What if your body has been whispering to you through your symptoms—trying to get your attention, nudging you toward healing that goes far deeper than the physical?

That’s what we’re diving into on this week’s Gutsy Chick Podcast and what I want to explore with you here: the fascinating intersection of metaphysics and modern science in the way we understand pain, illness, and healing.

What Is Metaphysics, Really?

Metaphysics, at its simplest, is the study of what lies beyond the physical—especially the mind-body connection. It asks questions like:

• Did the body create this ailment, or did the mind create the conditions that led to it?

• How does thought, belief, or emotional experience influence physical reality?

• What can we learn from the way pain shows up in our bodies?

If you’ve ever wondered whether your stress caused that migraine, or why you developed gut issues after a period of grief, you’ve brushed up against metaphysics.

Pain Lives in the Brain

Here’s a perspective that might shift everything for you: pain doesn’t actually exist where you feel it. It only exists in the brain.

Your body sends a signal—say, from an injured thumb or an achy knee—and your brain interprets it as pain to get your attention. In this way, pain is always a message. And that means the meaning matters.

The Pioneers Who Opened This Door

Over the years, several key voices have shaped our understanding of the mind-body connection:

• Louise Hay: In her classic book Heal Your Body, she mapped specific ailments to possible mental or emotional causes, offering affirmations as tools for healing.

• Caroline Myss: Known for her work on intuition and spiritual anatomy, she highlighted the role of energy and prayer in healing.

• Dr. Joe Dispenza: A neuroscientist showing, through peer-reviewed studies, how thought and visualization can literally change biology.

• Bruce Lipton: The father of epigenetics, teaching us that our environment—and even the people we spend the most time with—shapes how our genes express themselves.

What once sounded “woo woo” is now being validated by neuroscience, immunology, and epigenetics. Science is catching up with what intuitive healers have known for centuries.

My Broken Thumb Story

Back in high school, I broke my thumb playing softball. At the time, all I knew was that it hurt, and Western medicine’s solution was a heavy cast that made playing third base nearly impossible.

Looking back with the lens of metaphysics, I see something deeper. The thumb represents willpower. A fracture in my right thumb (associated with the future) mirrored fractures in my willpower that would challenge me years later.

That injury wasn’t just about softball—it was a signal of what I’d need to heal in myself later in life.

How This Applies to You

So what does this mean for you and your symptoms—whether it’s back pain, migraines, gut issues, or something else?

It means your body isn’t just breaking down. It’s speaking up. Symptoms can be seen as messages that help you uncover what needs to shift, whether that’s:

• A belief that’s no longer serving you

• Stress that’s gone unaddressed

• An environment that needs changing

• A new practice of prayer, meditation, or visualization

Healing isn’t about rejecting medical treatment. It’s about expanding the conversation to include the messages behind the pain.

Why This Matters Now

We’re living in a time when neuroscience, epigenetics, and functional medicine are confirming what metaphysical teachers have said all along: your thoughts, your beliefs, and your environment play a massive role in your health.

It’s not about choosing between science and intuition. It’s about realizing they’re finally speaking the same language.