How A Psychologist Can Help Face Psychosomatic Illnesses

How a psychologist can help face psychosomatic illnesses

Psychosomatic diseases are, in essence, those that fall into that branch of medicine and psychology that studies the relationship between the mind and the body..

Specifically, it is about identifying and understanding the influence that exists between emotion and the body.

Understanding psychosomatic illnesses

Even if unconsciously, We are all subject to physical disorders that may have their origin in the emotional and affective world..

Some examples? Stress, one of the mental illnesses that almost all workers currently suffer from, causes poor digestion. Also, anger, which creates heartburn, or changing certain habits, which generates headaches.

Many examples can be given, but it is scientifically proven that There is a correlation between emotions, affects and different types of disorders. The body and mind, in fact, should not be considered as two separate worlds, but rather they are two parts of a whole and they inevitably influence each other.

Psychosomatic disorders can affect:

Fortunately, today Medicine has broadened its scope and when an organic pathology is studied, all the factors are analyzed. that contribute to its determination.

This means that we not only look for physical causes, but We also take into account those mental aspects that may have influencedthat is, the patient’s lifestyle in general, the emotional world, relationships, social and family context in which he lives.

This is a “multifactorial approach” that helps to better define a disease and, consequently, to establish recovery therapies more precisely.

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The psychologist’s task in the face of these alterations

Some experts often use the expression “the body that speaks” to define psychosomatic illnesses. In this case, Physical ailments are nothing more than alternative ways for the body to express the discomfort of the mind..

It is the internal discomfort that comes out through physical suffering, which can be precisely problems of the digestive system, but also dermatitis due to stress, etc. The triggering causes can be strong external pressures, particular tensions when preparing for a job interview, or never-processed grief that can be felt with symptoms even years later.

Each symptom must be taken seriously, and this is where the psychologist comes in. His task in the case of psychosomatic diseases is to help the person connect the symptoms with the ills of the mind, finding an alternative way to express negative emotions.

The psychologist, through his sessions, must accompany the patient through different outbreaks of tension, anxiety, stress, thus preventing the body from reacting badly.

The psychologist’s approach It mainly consists of playing three roles in one:

Without support, the individual cannot even achieve awareness of having suffered trauma.

So do not hesitate to contact professional psychological help if you think it can offer you a solution to deal with your psychosomatic symptoms.

Author: Adrián Pino Bonacho, Health Psychologist