I dissociate pain in different ways. Sometimes the pain is just so separated from my body (in my mind) that while I feel it, it's as if it's so separate that I don't hurt, even if I have a head knowledge that it hurts. Not sure if that makes sense or not.

Other times, I have been told that I have complained about pain a lot and then all of a sudden I am fine, even if there is an obvious need for medical attention. I don't usually remember those times (neither the being in pain nor being fine) so I assume other parts of myself have dealt with that based on their experiencing in the past.

I also learned that I have a nurse inside that apparently came about from a time when I was a child and needed that. She professes to be very old (I guess from a child's viewpoint, she is) and from what I do know, she seems to be pretty knowledgeable in taking care of the body when it needs something medical.

Not being able to tell when the body is ill or in pain though has caused a lot of issues in my life. It means I don't get the care I might need sometimes or I wait too long for care, which makes the issue worse. My doctor tries to get me in every 3 months just to monitor things because he knows my history. That's been helpful for me (when I make it to the appts... which I often miss due to lost time).

It definitely comes in handy in the moment though and in times where people might need pain meds. I can't do chemical drugs (due to other events in my past) so I'm thankful my brain has found a way to deal with pain without taking anything.