Tow Truck Questions:

The tow truck questions are designed to invite introspection on how pain may have integrated into your daily life and the ways it might be serving a protective role. These questions aren’t always easy to answer, and some may resonate more deeply than others. Pain is something we experience, but it can easily become entangled with our identity and begin to shape every part of our lives. If any of these questions trigger a strong emotional reaction, it may be a valuable area to explore further.

If there was something your pain is protecting you from, what could it be?
If you stopped talking about your pain to your family and friends, how would their perspective of you change?
What would life look like if you did not have to worry about your pain? Does some part of you feel nervous when you think about this?
What would you have to get back to if you did not have your symptoms and pain to stop you from doing them? (work, house tasks, socializing…)
Have you ever used your pain as a reason to not go to an event or hangout when the real reason was you did not want to go initially?
Has your pain been an excuse to not engage in other life activities?
Do you identify as a sick person? Has your diagnosis become your identity?
Do you want to become pain-free?
What other ways could your pain be serving you?

JOURNAL PROMPT

Which of these tow truck questions gave you a gut reaction?