Nociception is the body's ability or physiological ability to detect noxious stimuli that may actually or potentially damage your tissue. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "unconscious activity induced by harmful stimuli" So does nociception mean you are injured at a conscious level but not necessarily injured? Yes, in my head I do. And it also means we don't want to be damaged because repair costs a lot of energy and evolutionarily speaking, that's not smart.