Migraine As A Psychosomatic Illness

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Everyone knows such diseases as gastritis, ulcers, migraines, allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, bronchial asthma and hypertension. All of them belong to the so-called "psychosomatic" diseases and are closely related to internal conflicts, which are based on unconscious causes

Medical treatment of such diseases often has only a short-term effect, after which the disease returns again. Therefore, it is so important to understand the reasons behind these diseases in order to help yourself cope with them.

Psychosomatics (other Greek psycho - soul and soma - body) is a direction in psychology and medicine that studies the influence of psychological factors on the occurrence and course of somatic (bodily) diseases.

Within the framework of psychosomatics, the relationship between personality characteristics (constitutional characteristics, character traits, behavioral styles, types of emotional conflicts) and one or another somatic disease is investigated.

In this article, I would like to consider migraines and the causes associated with its occurrence

Migraine has been described since ancient times. Among the great people, Julius Caesar, Napoleon, Macedonian, Dostoevsky, Kafka and Virginia Woolf suffered from migraines. An almost "unbearable" headache can last from several hours to several days.

Consider the basic definition of this psychosomatic illness. Migraine (Greek hemicranias - half of the skull) manifests itself in the form of attacks of severe, almost paralyzing headache, usually in one half of the head. It is believed that the disease is inherited through the female line and manifests itself with the onset of menstruation. The attack is often preceded by a sensation characteristic of the patient, called an aura (lat. Breath of wind).

The attack may be accompanied by

- dizziness;

- nausea;

- visual impairment;

- vomiting;

- increased sensitivity to light and sounds.

In some cases, people see sparkling dots, balls, zigzags, lightning, and fiery figures. Sometimes all objects appear to be enlarged or reduced (Alice's syndrome). The pain is pulsating, or boring and is aggravated by light and noise, and increases with exertion and walking. The patient strives to retire in a dark room, to close with his head in bed.

Migraine and psychosomatic causes of its occurrence have been actively studied in psychoanalysis. The foundations of the psychoanalytic approach to the study of the causes of migraine were laid by Z. Freud, who himself suffered from migraines for most of his life. Rich personal experience served as the basis for the creation of a psychoanalytic theory of pain. B. Luban-Plozza and co-authors note that migraine serves to "hide mental conflicts." A migraine attack can provide the patient with elements of secondary pleasure: it provides the ability to manipulate the family or punish the world around him.

Some authors have described migraine-prone personality type … It turned out that these patients are characterized by lagging emotional development and outstripping intellectual development. They are characterized by ambition, restraint, self-esteem, sensitivity, dominance and lack of a sense of humor. Migraines often appear at the moment when the patient comes out from under the parental wing and begins to live independently. In another study, the character traits of these patients were identified: obsession, perfectionism, excessive rivalry, inability to shift responsibility.

F. Alexander believed that the basis of migraine is suppressed aggression towards others and relatives. In a state of passion, the blood supply to the brain remains abundant and even increases. When anger is suppressed, muscle activity is blocked, blood flow to the muscles is reduced, and blood flow to the head becomes even stronger. This can be the physiological basis for migraine attacks. That is, at the physiological level, the body is preparing to show aggression, but the individual blocks it, and physiological discharge does not occur. As a result, we have a headache.

Modern American studies of patients with migraines have found a significant link between migraines and other diseases. People with migraine headaches are more prone to depression, increased anxiety and suicidal thoughts than others. This relationship can also be explained by the quality of life of such patients. Migraine attacks lasting from several hours to several days often cause patients to miss work and important activities.

It is quite difficult to figure out the causes of migraines and other psychosomatic diseases on your own.… Collaboration with a psychotherapist can help. It can help you understand the causes of migraines and how you can cope with them.

I would like to end this article with a quote from Marcel Proust: " When suffering gives way to reflections, they cease to torment our hearts with the same force.".