Grief and suppressed anger can create real liver-area pain through the gut–liver–brain axis. Emotional stress increases inflammation, tightens the diaphragm, disrupts digestion, and heightens nerve sensitivity. Depth-oriented therapy helps release stored emotions so the body no longer expresses grief and anger through liver-area tension and organ-level pain.
Understanding Liver-Area Pain Through the Mind–Body Connection
Many of my clients at Reno Psychotherapy describe a similar experience:
“It feels like pressure or burning under my right ribs, but my medical tests are normal.”
This symptom is especially common in high-achieving adults—people who survive grief by staying functional, suppress anger to keep peace, and push through emotional pain with sheer willpower.
What most don’t realize is that the liver area is one of the most reactive sites for suppressed emotions. Research in psychoneuroimmunology, grief physiology, and the gut–liver–brain axis now confirms what people have felt for centuries:
Emotions don’t just stay in your head. They imprint on your organs.
The Mind–Body Connection: A Research-Supported System
How Emotional Stress Affects the Body
Emotional overload affects:
- the nervous system (sympathetic activation)
- the autonomic system (breathing, ribcage tension)
- the endocrine system (cortisol spikes)
- the immune system (inflammation)
- the gut–liver–brain axis (digestion + pain perception)
- the diaphragm and intercostal muscles (tightening)
Bereavement increases inflammation and physical symptoms.
Anger suppression elevates inflammation and autonomic stress.
Grief affects digestion, liver sensitivity, and abdominal pain.
This is the mind–body connection, but through a clinical, biological lens.
Why Liver-Area Pain Happens During Grief & Emotional Suppression
Before discussing the emotional causes, always rule out medical concerns like gallbladder disease, pancreatitis, or infections.
When tests are normal, emotional physiology becomes the missing link.
1. The Gut–Liver–Brain Axis Is Highly Stress-Sensitive
Emotional stress impacts:
- bile production
- intestinal permeability
- liver detoxification efficiency
- the microbiome
- nerve sensitivity
- the vagus nerve
Stress floods the gut–liver–brain circuit with signals that heighten pain perception in the right-upper abdomen.
2. Grief Creates Inflammation That Amplifies Organ Pain
Grief increases:
- inflammatory cytokines
- cortisol dysregulation
- visceral hypersensitivity
- digestive slowdowns
- abdominal cramping
This combination often localizes under the right ribs, near the liver.
3. Suppressed Anger Causes Diaphragm Tightness & Rib Pressure
Anger wants movement.
When suppressed, the diaphragm locks, breathing shortens, and the liver-area muscles contract. This can feel like:
- tightness under ribs
- burning on the right side
- pressure or fullness
- pain during emotional triggers
- sharpness with deep breaths
This is one of the most universal anger-holding patterns.
4. The Nervous System Can Generate Real Organ Pain
With chronic emotional overload, the brain can amplify organ-level pain even when scans are normal — a condition called centrally mediated abdominal pain.
Stress and emotional suppression heighten this reaction.
Your body is not lying to you.
It is overloaded.
When Emotions Don’t Have Language, They Become Symptoms
Emotional suppression — especially among high-functioning adults — creates:
- elevated inflammation
- ribcage compression
- digestive distress
- chronic pain
- shallow breathing
- fatigue
- a sense of being “fine but not fine”
Your body becomes the container for everything you didn’t feel safe expressing.
Common signs of emotional somatization:
- liver-area discomfort
- right-side tension
- rib compression
- jaw or neck tension
- numbness paired with pain
- abdominal swelling during stress
- “breath stuck under the ribs”
This is not weakness.
This is the body’s survival attempt.
How Therapy Helps: The Emotional Detox the Body Needs
Psychodynamic therapy helps you:
- identify the exact grief you’ve minimized
- safely express anger without fear
- reduce emotional overload
- settle the nervous system
- relax the diaphragm
- process emotions so they’re not stored in organs
- reestablish internal safety
As emotions are processed, clients often report:
- decreased liver-area pain
- softer breathing
- improved digestion
- reduced inflammation
- fewer panic symptoms
- greater emotional clarity
Your body stops screaming when your emotions finally get to speak.
Why High-Achieving Adults Experience This More Deeply
High-functioning adults are taught to:
- stay composed
- suppress anger
- avoid burdening others
- keep performing
- ignore grief
- manage everything alone
They intellectualize emotions instead of feeling them — and the body becomes the spokesperson.
This liver-area pain is not incidental.
It is the body’s way of saying:
“I can’t hold this alone anymore.”
You Don’t Have to Carry This Alone
If you’re experiencing:
- liver-area pain
- grief you’re holding quietly
- suppressed anger
- stress-related digestive symptoms
- chronic rib or diaphragm tightness
- emotional numbness
- overwhelm with no clear cause
Therapy can help your emotions and your organs breathe again.
At Reno Psychotherapy, I help high-performing adults process grief, anger, and stress so the body no longer needs to carry the emotional load.
Can grief cause pain near the liver?
Yes. Grief increases inflammation and disrupts the gut–liver–brain axis, creating liver-area pain even when labs are normal.
Can suppressed anger affect my liver?
Yes. Suppressed anger tightens the diaphragm, increases inflammation, and heightens nerve sensitivity in the upper abdomen.
How does therapy help somatic symptoms?
Therapy releases emotional tension stored in the body, calming the nervous system and decreasing physical symptoms.
Should I still get medical evaluation?
Yes. Always rule out gallbladder, liver, or GI issues. Therapy addresses emotional causes that remain afterward.
References
- Spillane, A. et al. (2017). Physical and psychosomatic health outcomes in people bereaved by suicide.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5725957/ - Seiler, A. & Jenewein, J. (2020). The Psychobiology of Bereavement and Health.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7744468/ - Konkolÿ Thege, B. et al. (2012). Bereavement and somatic symptoms.
https://bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2296-13-59 - Khan, A.J. et al. (2020). Suppression and inflammation.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8425342/ - Brod, S. et al. (2014). Emotion and immune function.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4212945/ - UCLA Health (2024). How does grief affect your body?
https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/how-does-grief-affect-your-body - MDPI Review (2024). Gut–liver–brain axis and stress.
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4389/5/3/43 - IFFGD. Centrally Mediated Abdominal Pain Syndrome.
https://iffgd.org/gi-disorders/centrally-mediated-abdominal-pain-syndrome/ - Guthrie, E. (2002). Abdominal pain and functional GI disorders.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1124226/ - Healthline (2022). Right upper quadrant pain.
https://www.healthline.com/health/right-upper-quadrant-pain-under-ribs
