2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43
The most frequent question that a psychologist working with health topics hears is: “What diseases can I treat you with? Is it possible to work with my disease?”. Indeed, there is a list of diseases that are considered psychosomatic. There are diseases, the occurrence and course of which depends on stress. But, firstly, the list of psychosomatic diseases initially known to everyone changes significantly over time, and, secondly, this does not mean that one can turn to a psychologist only with these diseases. Therefore, the short answer to the question of what health problems you can turn to a psychologist is with any. Especially if:
- they cause anxiety, fear, depression and other serious conditions.
- doctors say “you just don’t have to be nervous”, “you just have to go on a diet” and any other “just” that is not really easy.
- you notice an increase in the symptom in certain circumstances or in the presence of certain people.
- doctors say that everything is in order with health, but the symptom is still uncomfortable.
- there is a chronic disease, but it is not possible to lead an appropriate lifestyle.
- health is all right, but it is scary to get sick in the future.
- you are unable to relax physically and emotionally.
- Relationships with others cause excitement and anxiety (this is not necessarily related to health problems, but is very related to the body and to an overall sense of well-being).
- after all, if it seems to you that the disease has some kind of psychological implications.
In addition, if you have problems with posture, you can turn to specialists working with somatic methods (by hearing Thomas Hanna's somatics, Feldenkrais method, Pilates). Traditionally, somatics are taught to body-oriented and dance-movement therapists, but this is still not psychotherapy, but an adjoining field that teaches you to recognize and control your body.
When a person comes to a psychologist with a potential psychosomatics, he always wants to be cured. At the same time, an honest specialist is obliged to remind that he is not a doctor or a healer, but only a consultant who can work with a conscious part of bodily experience, but not with unconscious physiological processes.
In popular articles about psychosomatics, it is often written that diseases arise from internal conflicts, blocked emotions, trauma (continue the list). If you work, you will be cured. I cannot argue with this, because it is not clear how this can be proved or disproved. The chain from internal conflict to somatic illness, in principle, cannot be built, because these concepts are from different conceptual systems.
However, as a result of therapy, the symptom may dry up. Not always, but not infrequently. How to explain this, if without mysticism and speculation.
1. A change in the state of a person entails changes in the body: a new posture is mastered, the clamped zones relax. This is enough to get rid of, for example, headaches or back pain.
2. Change of lifestyle. A person becomes more sensitive in the choice of food, begins to move more or, conversely, ceases to exhaust himself with stress. Not because it is necessary or right, but because you no longer want to do otherwise. In the short term, digestion is getting better, but it's not for me to tell you about the long term.
3. Change of environment or adaptation to it. A person moves out of town or from the middle lane to the warm sea. Leaves a job where there is too much stress (and little joy). Hires a nanny after all.
4. Changing attitudes towards treatment. A person who was treated exclusively with herbs and himself decides to go to the doctor. Or he stops suppressing the symptom with drugs with a short-term effect and goes to an osteopath, for yoga therapy or Pilates.
All these changes and their consequences are transparent. You realize what exactly is happening to you and as a result of which your health becomes better. No miracles. Rather pleasant side effects.
Please remember that a psychologist is not a substitute for quality treatment, let alone diagnostics. Following the WHO, I hold the view that disease is influenced by psychological, biological and social factors. And it is the combination of competent psychological and medical assistance that allows a person to significantly improve his health.
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