The Princess and the Pea - A Tale of Sensitivity

Concepts of pain and sensitivity, adapted to a timeless tale by Hans Christian Andersen For those who don't know, I will very succinctly summarize the tale "The Princess and the Pea": A girl claims to be a princess, and since they don't believe her, they give her a test: they put a pea under the mattress to check if her skin is so sensitive that she feels such a small grain (something that only the skin of a princess would be able to do). to detect). In the end, the girl cannot sleep, regardless of the number of mattresses placed on top of the pea, revealing her royal lineage...

A parallel can be drawn between this story and the sensitivity of each individual.

In fact, it is true that not everyone feels the same way, whether for congenital, hereditary, psychological or social reasons. Sensitivity or pain is something that is part of us, being indispensable for survival. The spectrum of pain varies between people who do not feel it, and others who feel it to such a degree that it becomes disabling on a daily basis. Although the majority of the population is within these limits, more and more people talk about chronic pain (persistent pain that can generate some level of disability or limitation) and the importance of its treatment. In this short story, in addition to the moral about doubting the other for their appearance or way of feeling, or the parable of the effect of the grain on the system/gear, a biological situation can be revealed: the existence of a hyper-sensitivity that does not let the princess sleep. Any small thing can deregulate the body and generate a neurological disorder that causes insomnia or restless sleep (whether it's a pea or something else). Adapting this tale to real-life symptoms, the little girl could be diagnosed as suffering from fibromyalgia or some autoimmune disease that disrupts her system. And of course, being pressured by the queen to prove her lineage doesn't help your brain relax. There is a need to use a bio-psycho-social model and adapt it in the analysis of this case. All variables must be taken into account: the context of pain, listening to the patient's experience, establishing a relationship that creates trust for the treatment.