Visceral Pain

1 of 1 Art Canvas

24x30 Inches

What does it mean for pain to be visceral?
To answer this question, one must understand and internalise what both words mean. The word visceral can be interpreted in both a literal and figurative sense. Literally, it relates to the internal organs of the human body in the chest and abdominal area—“the viscera.” Figuratively, visceral can be interpreted as something that is felt deeply and instinctively, not through logic or reason; it refers to raw, intense emotions or reactions.

With an understanding of this word, we can now define pain. Pain can be physical, it can be mental—the word itself triggers the mind of the reader to regurgitate personal experiences of pain. I feel as if pain is a concept that I wish I could erase, but now I’m met with a dilemma. Taking into consideration that I am who I am because of the pain I’ve experienced, would I still wish to erase the concept of pain? It is comforting to wish for a world without pain, but it is ignorant to dismiss how pain shapes us into who we are as people.

To conclude, the expression visceral pain represents the rawest, most instinctive idea of pain. Mental torment, psychological distress, physical hurt—it is all to be embraced and confronted, for it shapes us into who we are. This expression, visceral pain, represents all that haunts us within: looming thoughts that keep us awake, endless spirals of the human psyche—fractured from within.