Psychosomatic Pain: Of Course it's in Your Head!
Have you ever felt severe ongoing sickness or chronic pain, tried to investigate why, and after going through extensive amounts of testing the doctor tells you it’s psychosomatic?
Maybe you went home and googled “psychosomatic pain” and then got offended that the Doctor was basically telling you that it’s all in your head? You might have started to question your sanity, thinking that maybe your mom was right all those years and you ARE a hypochondriac.
STOP RIGHT THERE!
Psychosomatic pain is NOT an insult, it’s a fact. If your mom or doctor or anyone else has used the term “itls all in your head” to insult you, they are missing some very relevant facts!
Scientifically, if we look at the neuroscience, psychosomatic pain originates in your brain, and it is real.
It’s the way your body and brain communicate with each other. Your body has it’s own dialect and sends your brain messages all the time. Some messages might make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and others might make you feel anxious or worried.
Psychosomatic is basically the brain’s participation in somatic messaging.
Your brain is naturally very intuitive and tries to protect you from harm. It fires off warnings all the time when you push yourself beyond your limits. Maybe you are a workaholic and you have ignored these messages hundreds of times? Eventually the alarm bells start getting louder and louder until you can no longer ignore them.
Is Stress Making You Sick?
Emotional and mental stress, when ignored, can make you physically sick. “Psychosomatic” is simply the relation between mind and body.
The term is a combination of Greek words psyche "mind" + somatic, from soma, which means "body" .
When meeting with new clients, I always listen to their story carefully. I pay attention to what they are expressing verbally, but am also listening for cues of discomfort, pain or dis-ease they might be struggling with on a body level.
“Am I crazy or is there a reason that I’m suffering?" Sally looks up with pleading eyes. “I know it’s probably stress related but I’m usually good at sucking things up and moving on. But for some reason it isn’t working anymore! My stomach cramps up, I am constantly bloated and just feel so uncomfortable in my skin. I can push myself for a short time and then I get sick - almost like a flu. My boss must think I’m faking it, but I literally can’t move when I get hit with these issues. I’m really suffering! Can you do your therapy magic and help me feel better? Clearly the medical tests won’t find anything. I think I have been to every specialist imaginable! This is my next stop. I hope you can fix me!”
Sally looks up, tears slowly fill her soft chocolate brown eyes and run down her cheeks.
I can see the confusion, worry and despair. I’m glad she’s here as, based on my assessment, her symptoms seem psychosomatic. Thought therapy is far from "magic", body based symptoms are highly treatable using somatic informed, mind-body-focused psychotherapy - as long as someone is willing to do the work and keep practicing body attunement.
We begin the session with a mindfulness exercise and a body scan where she points out areas of discomfort as well as areas of less tension.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE MINDFULNESS EXERCISE & BODY SCAN
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A SOMATIC “FELT SENSE” BEGINNERS EXERCISE
Although Sally is a fictitious client, this exchange is a very common one. Clients show up to our first session seeking relief from chronic pain, discomfort, digestive issues, attention difficulties and other body-related pains. They feel slightly relived to learn that psychosomatic symptoms are actually a good sign that things are working as they should. Then we learn ways to pay better attention.
Common Psychosomatic Symptoms
Common symptoms include;
Fatigue
Nausea/vomiting
Fever
Constipation/ Bloated Belly/ Abdominal Pain
High blood pressure
Back pain
Numbness
Dizzy spells
Chest pains
Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
Ongoing cough
Jaw tightness (TMJ)
Shortness of breath
Insomnia
Muscle Paralysis
Non-epileptic Seizures (also known as Pseudo- Seizures)
The voice of Sally echoes the worries of so many clients who have left no rock unturned medically, but have not found a specific cause or relief.
Of course it hurts to be in pain, but it hurts even more to feel judged, confused and misunderstood. The intense worry that the doctor must be missing something critical, makes things even more difficult!
When there is no medical cause, we don’t need to give up, but rather, we are compelled to dig deeper.
In my years as a therapist I have treated many individuals who suffered with debilitating pain and finally experienced relief when they were given the space and support they truly needed. They were able to identify, understand and address the underlying causes of their pain.
As Sally, our common client persona, continues her treatment, she begins experiencing shifts, insights and reduction in the intensity of her previously confusing symptoms. One day Sally comes into session with a wise look on her face, excited to share a creative metaphor to explain her treatment experience.
“It's like I had a clogged dam. Obviously I don’t have a real dam inside of me, but I had a clogged "emotional dam" that was holding fears and frustration. But bam, I’m slowly clearing it out. And, those tears, I didn’t know I can cry that much. It’s interesting though, because I’m starting to feel lighter when I let go and express those pent up feelings.”
There’s a twinkle shining from the corner of Sally’s moist eyes, but this time they are tears of relief and joy.
She gently wipes her salty tears and takes a deep breath. The glow on her face indicates to me that her body has been getting enough oxygen. I notice that she can now self-soothe, calm down and take deeper breaths this session.
I mirror her body language, and my face breaks into a gentle grin.
I had taught Sally some body focused breathing skills and as her body settled in, it uncovered something that had been bottled up for a while. At first glance, it didn’t seem related to the stress until we listened in. In our work we continued decluttering the layers that have been weighing on her, one session at a time.
As Sally leaves our session, her stance looks softer and her muscle tone seems more solid and flexed. Her face looks like it’s brimmed with a soft glow. When I check in on how she’s doing before we wrap up the session she’s shares:
It’s a new sensation. I’m learning what it’s like to actually live in my body, and not just think of my body as something that comes along with me for the ride. Of course now it makes sense that my belly was bloated most of the time. In my family I had to hold my breath and sift every single thought I wanted to share. There was never a moment where I could sigh a deep breath of relief. What's fascinating is that my thoughts were tiring not just my mind, but also my body. My bloated-ness has gone down, and I now notice when it gets worse. I’m starting to learn how my body talks to me and it’s pretty interesting.
Clients like Sally have a great prognosis. They generally embrace this method and stay a solid trajectory as they work through the pain and learn new ways of “being” in their skin.
As a therapist, I want clients to be able to integrate the knowledge and skills way beyond their time on the couch. To me, therapy is about helping my clients find their way home; finding home in their own minds and bodies. A way back to themselves. A safe embodiment of self. And right here, I know we’re on a good track.
If you’ve been holding a lot inside and you’ve been experiencing some psychosomatic symptoms, I want you to take time to get curious and better understand your body and its signals. A small shift can go a long way in experiencing relief.
If you want more tips on finding ways to offer yourself relief, click here for “ 6 Tips for Relief from Anxiety + Stress related (psychosomatic) pain”.
If you're looking to do deeper work with a therapist to help you heal psychosomatic pains related to anxiety, reach out to our office to a book a session today.
Therapy methods such as Somatic Psychotherapies (somatic experience/ sensorimotor psychotherapy), EMDR, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, amongst others, have been effective in helping clients heal.
And if you live in Long Island or anywhere in New York, reach out for your free consult so we can map out a plan to help you feel better starting today!