How Is Stress Related To Psychosomatic Illness? Psychotherapy Psychosomatics

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

How is stress related to psychosomatic illness?

Psychotherapy of psychosomatic diseases using symbol drama

When exposed to a stressor, the human body reacts in accordance with how subjectively significant the situation is for it at the moment

The strength of the reaction depends on the person's subjective perception of the situation

When a stressor is perceived, changes in blood biochemistry in the body occur. The signal enters the pituitary gland and hypothalamus of the brain through the sympathetic nervous system. Cortisol and adrenaline are released, which increases blood glucose levels for energy and endurance to counteract stressors, while suppressing the immune system.

The adrenal glands are involved in the stress reaction, producing glucocordicoids and adrenaline, the pancreas, and glucose.

With a stress reaction, the release of prolactin also increases, while the reproductive function of the body is inhibited.

The pituitary gland stimulates the release of morphine-like substances - endorphins and enkephalins. Their goal is to reduce the sensitivity of the body in case of possible pain.

Almost simultaneously, vasopressin is produced, which regulates fluid in the body to accelerate the transfer of the necessary substances to the muscles for physical activity.

Adrenaline causes the affect of fear and rage, while the bronchi expand, due to the expansion of the diameter of the blood vessels, which affects the depth and frequency of breathing and changes the rhythm of the heart.

If the stress is short-term, i.e. the person managed to cope with the stressor using action, then the sympathetic nervous system is suppressed by the parasympathetic and all body functions are restored and continue to work in their previous rhythm.

If active action (meaning not only physically active, but also finding a solution when thinking about a problem situation) does not occur, and the person feels helpless and the inability to express aggression (i.e., the inability to use the released energy to resolve the situation), then the energy is suppressed, and the body continues to be in tension. All of the above bodies continue to operate in SOS mode, i.e. in an altered state. The most unpleasant thing is that if the stress is prolonged, sometimes years, then it is the altered state of blood biochemistry that becomes habitual for the body.

Therefore, it is not so easy to cope with psychosomatic illnesses. They become, as it were, a secondary benefit for a person. Recovery will unconsciously be perceived as stress (violation of homeostasis - a habitual state) and will be sabotaged in every possible way.

So what are these diseases?

Bronchial asthma and hypertension (blood vessels that expand sharply, then spasm, making breathing difficult).

Impotence, frigidity, infertility (if you need to fight, then not up to children).

Diabetes (the pancreas directs all its forces to the production of glucose).

Stomach ulcer, as a result of disruption of the work of internal organs.

Diseases of the thyroid gland associated with enhanced humoral regulation of the body.

What does a subjectively significant situation mean?

The significance of the situation, if it is, of course, not a real danger to life (now we do not consider this option, because in our world it is extremely rare and in such cases a person always his stress will react and he never will not go into psychosomatics, for example - participation in the Second World War, etc.,) is determined by the internal system of values, deep beliefs.

It is beliefs that are incompatible with each other, contradictory, but have the same significance for a person, that lead to constant internal tension. Impossible to make a choice. It is impossible to respond to the generated energy. Add here a genetic hereditary predisposition to certain diseases and you get the likelihood of a corresponding psychosomatic illness

How can depth therapy help?

First of all, this is teaching the skills of relaxation, self-regulation. With relaxation, the parasympathetic nervous system is activated and the sympathetic one is inhibited. Like a car - gas and brakes. The car will not run if two pedals are depressed at the same time.

Then you will be able to identify, realize and resolve internal contradictions. Internal conflicts. This awareness will significantly reduce internal mental and physical stress.

Here is a brief interpretation of some psychosomatic diseases by the depth psychology

Psychosomatic illnesses are associated with rejection, insufficient attention to one's own body. The work of psychotherapy is aimed at making the patient love his body, his body.

Mental stress manifests itself in vegetative complaints (profuse sweating, sleep disturbance, impaired appetite; in functional complaints (pain in the stomach, heart area, lower abdomen, tachycardia).

So, what individual preconditions, besides hereditary ones, can lead to the emergence of psychosomatic diseases?

Bronchial asthma … Difficulty breathing, one of the most important functions in life. This disease refers to a broken relationship in the first year of a child's life. Relationship with mom. Proximity is distance. The chances are that Mom was too nice, overprotective and anxious. The true emotional needs of the child were not sufficiently met and were replaced by more functional care. Of course, at this age, the child still cannot say what he wants. But, if the mother knows how to understand herself and her own needs, then she will sensitively anticipate what the child needs at every moment of time, and not act out of her anxiety and fear. For example, (I am now taking the exclusively emotional aspect), the mother feels when the child wants to be picked up, hugged to her chest, and when he wants to be left alone. The mother focuses not only on her desire to cuddle the child or on what she read in a smart book about how many times she needs to take the child in her arms, but on the reactions of her child, feeling his desires.

In therapy, we work with the topic of separation, the patient learns to say "no", to set boundaries, taking into account his own interests in the relationship.

Arterial hypertension. One of the psychological reasons is the habitual reaction to stress in the form of stupor. Remember: “hit”, “run”, “freeze”?

We unconsciously choose one or another response to stress, or rather we don't choose, but it automatically works. "Freeze" - this is the very stupor. Blocking all actions. And adrenaline continues to be produced. Psychotherapeutic care for hypertension includes teaching other forms of responding to stress - through word or action. As well as the prevention of stress reactions. As a preventive measure - meditative practices, walking more, swimming. For verbal response - mate, singing. Beat the pillow, dishes.

Rheumatoid arthritis … This disease is characterized by severe pain in the limbs, back, which arise and disappear. We regard back pain as unconscious, unprocessed feelings of guilt and resentment. In therapy, we work through repressed situations from the past, when these feelings could arise, as well as work with directed visualization, in which we well saturate the connective tissues of the body with blood, adjusting their metabolic function and relieving inflammation.

Diseases of the stomach, intestines … In depth psychology, we view it as a conflict of intimacy: "I want to be there, but I'm afraid you will swallow me." Therapy includes directed visualization into the body and "repair" of damaged organs. And also, with the help of symbolic drama motives, the study of the internal conflict of proximity - distance.

Neurodermatitis, psoriasis … Skin diseases often lead to isolation, a significant decrease in social contacts. From this fact, it can be assumed that a person who unconsciously avoids social contacts can do this "using" skin diseases. In therapy, the patient is aware of this fact, we also make special motives that help heal damaged skin.

Diseases associated with the thyroid gland we treat with the help of special motives of symbol drama, teaching methods of self-regulation of the emotional state.

Stages of development of psychosomatic diseases:

1. There is pain, but diagnostics show that physical health is in order.
2. There are painful sensations and physiological changes in the organs, in the body.
3. There is a diagnostically confirmed disease that affects the quality of a person's life and is reflected in his behavior and character.

An important factor in healing is work at all levels that affect the disease and at which it is formed: mental, spiritual, physical, social.

In conclusion, let's summarize:

Prerequisites psychosomatics are:

- insufficiently satisfied needs of the first year of life;

- alexithymia (unawareness of one's feelings and emotions);

- unstable self-esteem, self-identification, - hereditary diseases that manifest themselves in persistent maladaptive patterns of behavior.

Psychotherapy psychosomatics includes awareness and resolution of internal conflicts. In this area, the method of deep psychotherapy of symbol drama has proven itself very well, which helps to react, to realize on a symbolic level your feelings, conflicts, with the help of specially selected motives (images), to literally heal real internal diseases.

Prevention psychosomatics will be: increasing emotional intelligence (knowledge, the ability to express one's feelings and understand the feelings of another), mastering the skills of meditation, relaxation,