Like a lightning bolt that comes from nowhere pain paralyzes you and breaks you inside and out. Shattered, you can barely stand in the midst of this thunderstorm; everything around you looks densely gloomy... it is hard to see a way out.

This photograph was received as part of my study, supported by the University of Calgary, Mitacs Research Training Award, and the Mabbott Leadership Award. Participants with chronic pain were invited to take digital photographs to represent their lived experiences, through a methodology called photo-elicitation. We explored the relationship between chronic pain and animal companionship. A human-animal bond may shape the experience of living with chronic pain; one participant— with 10 years of chronic pain— shared this photograph and elaborates: "He never leaves my side. He's saved my life, in more ways than one. There are choices to live or die. Whether to take your life or not— there's always a choice— but my dog is my choice to stay here. To me, the medications are a way out of the pain— I've got so many lying around the house, it's very easy to take them all— but he's always here for me. [My psychologist] asked me 'what keeps you here?' It's my dog, 100% of the time. He doesn't know— he would just never see me again, and that would be the worse thing ever— that keeps me from doing anything. There are choices and, hopefully, always the right one."

Chronic pain colors many aspects of one’s life. It shades one’s work, relationships, and self-care, leading to suffering and for some, loss of employment, physical mobility, and identity. Living with pain is emotionally stressful; some may feel trapped by their own thoughts and/or immersed in a cycle of avoidant behaviors with an aim to reduce their pain. Pain can limit a life previously known across the lifespan—an experience that can be devastatingly isolating. Yet, in the midst of that, many live through the daily peaks and pitfalls of the totality of the pain experience–experiencing a host of other emotions colored by strength and resilience in the face of adversity.

Pain gives the impression of imminent death, like a crooked tree that lost all its leaves. At the border of madness, the light at the end of the tunnel is there, but unreachable. Leaf by leaf, branch by branch, you break apart, stuck in an inner subspace, dissociated from reality.

I am a 13-year girl who has lived with chronic pain for more than 5 years. I drew this image to express how I sometimes feel when I'm in pain -like I am drowning or submerged. The pain consumes my whole body. I am helpless and there is nothing I can do to stop the suffering or to help myself. Note: THe art work was submitted by the parent of a child with chronic pain and medical complexity. The author of the art submission is her 13 year old daughter Chloe Fleisher

Chakras correspond to the energy centres located in the body that affect our emotional and physical wellbeing. Balance and openness are key. The major chakras are often represented by seven colours ordered vertically. In Reiki, a pendulum held over a chakra moves clockwise to indicate that it’s open, counterclockwise to indicate closed, and in a straight line to indicate half-open/closed. My chakra colours are disordered, and my circular and linear brushstrokes mimic the movements of the pendulum. I gestured towards a dysregulated body and the constant struggle to establish balance. The globe/eyeball suggests that each person is a world unto themselves, an internal mystery that cannot readily be apprehended or measured. So much is going on behind the eyes, in the body, in the mind. The shadow of my hand turned upward is at once a site of pain and a gesture of reaching for help. The seven colors associated with the major chakras correspond to the seven colors of visible light. While they function almost metaphorically in the chakra system to render visible the light within, invisible energy, I have used the chakra system and its colors to render visible another kind of invisibility—the subjective experience of pain.

My late wife Lili Painted this in 2003 after full body Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) set in, triggered by a car accident in 1999. She had full-bodied Pain except in the left side of her face. At this point in her life she had no tolerated pain medications due to severe allergies. Suicide or Medically Assisted Death was a constant battle. This Image depicts the struggle with pain and loss of ability, while showing the life in the left side of her face, the one place she could escape to. After many years of struggle and Healthcare Harm, she died in 2019 with a strong will to live.

Chronic pain affects more women than men. We don’t know why, because past research has mostly involved men. Added to that historic unfairness, women’s pain has often been ignored or even disbelieved by doctors and nurses. So many women in pain end up feeling traumatized, simply from trying to get medical help with their pain. Constant pain can interfere with your sleep, concentration and focus, ability to plan your daily tasks – and sometimes your ability to look after yourself and your loved ones. You might have to cut back on your work hours, or to stop working altogether. These are just a few of the impacts of chronic pain on a person’s life. Pain can lead to financial problems, unstable housing, child custody issues, and more. It’s no wonder that many people who live with pain also have mental health problems. This painting is meant to show the different mental health burdens caused by chronic pain… The pain itself, always there, and worries about the future: Will the pain ever end? What will be the impact of pain on your family, finances, friendships, job, or studies? How can you explain your pain to others, if they can’t even see it?

Personal acrylic paintings of my journey through mental and physical pain. Pain creates a darkness. It chains the body, and entraps the mind. My existence is dissolving, my sense of self is all but gone. Pain physically and mentally have become my jail cell. After pain management, the chains are broken, my mind begins to sense freedom and feel the light. The jail has cracked open. The pain is still there but it no longer rules me. My mind is clearer, my soul is at peace. Finally, I know I will be okay.