An Observation of the Psychosomatic Psycho means "mind." Somatic means "body." Hence: psychosomatic Most people who have physical symptoms are readily diagnosed and medically treated. For example, chest pain in most people is an indication of heart problems. The medical specialist will most likely find the physical reason for the chest pain. However, there is a rise in the number of people who are psychosomatic. The mind is awesomely powerful. There is more significance to the phrase "mind over matter" when we come to know and accept scientific evidence that the mind is capable of converting emotional distress into physical symptoms. We now know that stress is the culprit behind many diseases. Equally true is that stress produces physical symptoms from which there is no known medical cause. General practitioners, specialists, and emergency room doctors see this phenomenon every day. They know the patient is not faking symptoms, but experiencing the "mind over matter" dynamic. Unfortunately frequent denial by the patient blocks the path to acceptance of psychosomatic activity, which in turn, blocks the path leading to psychiatric therapy. Who among us is totally comfortable accepting the idea that actual physical symptoms can and do come from the mind...the mind that is not willing to grasp the magnitude of past personal tragedies such as rape, incest, molestation, death, divorce, financial loss, and a myriad of other emotional trauma? In a very real sense, the mind passes the buck to the body to deal with emotional upheaval. When I was a pastor, people came to me with shattered pasts and present misery. I knew enough about emotional trauma to refer these folks to certified counselors, and psychiatrists who could help them head off these emotions before they manifested as psychosomatic activity. Sadly, most of them refused to seek professional intervention. Others stated they could fix their own emotional problems which is a form of denial and futility. As one who suffers from mental illness, I can attest to the effectiveness of professional intervention. My depression is not curable. Gladly it is manageable. My physical health has been surprisingly good considering self-inflicted emotional trauma characterized by immense sorrow, guilt, shame, loss, and various setbacks. I believe my good health is due to intense professional intervention and medicines. This observation is not medical advice nor intended as such. We can get our advice from the experts!
Posted on: Mon, 02 Sep 2013 11:23:27 +0000
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