Inertia is a metaphor for being stuck, the sense that you’re not living your life.
If you remember your high school physics, “An object at rest will stay at rest unless an external force acts upon it.” Certain attitudes, beliefs, thought patterns and life habits create inertia. People with complicated pain often become “bodies at rest”, not moving forward with living their lives. Complicated Pain Recovery is an active process which requires an active commitment and participation of the person seeking to recover from the disabling and life disrupting effects of pain. The stuckness of inertia creates a negative prespective towards life and living. It leads to a fear of pain and suffering. It creates the urge to numb the pain which often opens the path toward substance abuse and addiction. Inertia is associated with a thought pattern of focusing on what we don’t want rather than what we do want. Fortunately the fields of positive psychology, DBT (dialectical behavioral therapy) and life coaching, among others, have identified effective processes and techniques to redirect the mind and thought processes in a healthier direction, applying the external force or energy to get unstuck and begin living the life you choose.
