Silenced and Sidelined. D Lynn D Arnold

three times a week. A lot of pinched nerves, a lot of joint issues. Those sorts of things.”

      I then asked, “Where in your body, were you most impacted?”

      She replied, “Probably in the nerves here in my neck through my hands. I was fighting numbness in my hands a lot. During that period.” She went on to tell me the pain lasted a good eighteen months.

      Over 75 percent of the women I spoke to describe changes to their bodies during episodes of feeling silenced. There are too many examples or specifics to list in this chapter. However, the primary categories of physical pain manifested in the respiratory and digestive system, along with full-body stress.

      It is essential to not just focus on the physical pain that the silencing virus can cause. There is also the issue of psychological illness. Chapter 2 covered some of the emotional issues a silenced woman may live with, but the summary may not do justice to the things I heard women say. They suffered, and still suffer, forms of extreme exhaustion and emotional distress. This is often the hidden pain no one sees.