Psychosomatics: mental causes of diseases
Even Plato and Hippocrates wrote that spiritual experiences affect our bodily well-being. That is to say, humanity has drawn attention to the fact that our body responds to stress many centuries ago. Each of us is well aware of this from an early age: for example, many people were twitching their bellies at school before going to check in or going to the board or their heart was beating wildly. This is psychosomatics.
How it works
The human body is a complex mechanism that sometimes is difficult to understand. But it also has a special language. Nothing appears in the human body without reason. Let us explain by a simple example. The commonplace cold has not only external but also internal, subconscious causes. We do not always know how to check our emotional reactions to various problems, which is very disappointing. Undergoing certain emotions, according to the command of the Central nervous system, the corresponding hormones are released into the blood, which can both strengthen the body's defences and reduce immunity. Because of this, the ability to resist the disease is reduced and pathology may occur.
It cannot be said that as soon as you are a little irritated, you will get sick immediately. No, this is not true, it all depends on the specific situation, its analysis and the proper ways to solve the problem.
Today, a whole category has been formed to designate psychosomatic diseases. It includes diseases that cause the violation of the psychological processes of man, not physiological.
Where are the roots of the problem
The reasons for psychosomatics are always unique to each of us. As there are no identical people with the same life, so there are no identical stories of psychosomatic illness. But there are trends in the behaviour and life of people prone to all kinds of psychosomatics:
Inability to live emotions (lack of response)
It's not about the inability to feel. Emotions are, feelings are (yes, these are different things). But a person because of early experience simply cannot express them and has no internal permission. And then this person suppresses emotions as he thinks. They have not gone anywhere, just go to a deeper level.
Traumatic early experience (childhood psychological trauma)
The more pronounced the physical feeling – the earlier the injury. A striking example is a panic attack. For an age when neither words nor activities are still impossible and fear can only be demonstrated by the body (crying, heartbeat and shortness of breath).
Strong stress
If a person is subjected to constant stress (atypical situations, changes in conditions that require rapid adaptation – adjustment of the body and psyche). In stress, the body begins to produce special biologically active substances and hormones that affect all organs.
And there are many options and theories. These are just the three most common in the practice of psychologists. But there are others, and the task of research is to find them in the process of working with a specialist.
It is also important to understand that psychosomatic illness has evolved for some time. And its treatment also takes time. Sometimes it's a couple of months, in some cases a year or two. It is necessary to learn not just to go to a psychologist, but to live consultation and therapy, to bring the experience from the office to life.
