EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: Psychosomatic Disorders and Behavioral Medicine
Psychosomatic Disorders and Behavioral Medicine
DOES what we think and what we feel change our physical well-being?
We have learned from our discussion of emotion in the earlier writings
that our thoughts and emotions can modify how our body reacts.
One of our bodily reactions is of course, disease, and we do not usually
think of physical disease-stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, cancer, tuberculosis,
asthma-as reactions that can be influenced by thoughts and feelings. But there is a
good deal of evidence that the course, and perhaps the very occurrence, of such
illnesses can be influenced by the psychological states of their victims. Such a disorder
is called a psychosomatic disorder and is defined as a disorder of the body (the soma)
that is influenced by, or in the strongest case, caused by the mind (the psyche).
The field that deals with these disorders stands at the border of psychology and medicine,
and is now called “behavioral medicine” (Blanchard).
Then I will present an overview of psychosomatic, or psychophysiological
disorders, followed by a close look at three such disorders: peptic ulcers,
high blood pressure, and sudden death. We will then distill the principles
used to analyze these three examples by discussing various theoretical approaches
to psychosomatics. We begin with a striking example of a psychosomatic
phenomenon on the skin: stigmata.
STIGMATA
One of the most dramatic examples of psychosomatic disorder is the rare
phenomenon of stigmata. Stigmata are marks on the skin-usually bleeding
or bruises-often of high religious or personal significance, brought on
by an emotional state. About 300 instances of stigmata, many of them
called miracles, have been reported in the last 2,000 years. Most are found in
religious histories, but only a handful of these are documented well enough
to take seriously scientifically. But this handful provides the quintessential
demonstration or a psychosomatic phenomenon: a mental state causing the
body to react In a way usually thought of as being purely physical.
Consider the following case history:
Since childhood, Steven had suffered from nightmares and sleepwalking. His
Sleepwalking became a particular problem when, in 1935, he was hospitalized because
of an infection. To prevent him from sleepwalking about the ward in the
middle of the night he was restrained physically while he slept: his hands were
tightly hound behind his back when he went to sleep. On one such occasion he
awoke, and in a half-conscious state, found himself tied down. Although he could
not untie his hands, he was still able to evade his bodyguard and escape into the
surrounding countryside, from which he returned a few hours later.
Some ten years later, at age thirty-five Steven was again admitted to a hospital
-this time in an attempt to cure his recurrent sleepwalking. One evening at about
midnight the nurse saw him struggling violently on his bed, apparently having a
nightmare. He was holding his hands behind his back and seemed to be trying to
free them from some imaginary bond. After carrying on in this way for about an
hour. he crept out of bed still holding his hands behind his back, and disappeared
into the hospital grounds. He returned twenty minutes later in a state of normal
consciousness. As the nurse put him into bed, she noted deep wells like rope
marks on each arm, but until then Steven seemed unaware of their presence. The
next day the marks were still visible and were observed by the hospital staff. Three
nights later the marks had disappeared.
His physician believed that the marks were stigmata caused by reliving the traumatic
event of a decade earlier. To test this, he caused Steven to relive the experience of
ten years before under a hypnotic drug. While reliving the experience,
Steven writhed violently on the couch for about three-quarters of an hour. After a
few minutes they also appeared on both forearms. Gradually these became deeply
indented and finally blood appeared along their course. Next morning the marks
were still clearly visible. (Moody).
Here is a clear example of an essentially psychosomatic phenomenon. A
process that we usually believe to he strictly physical-the appearance of
rope marks and bleeding-is induced by the mental state of recalling a traumatic
incident with high emotion. The patient was carefully observed during
the development of the rope marks, and there is no ready explanation
other than an emotional state influencing a physical state.
DOES what we think and what we feel change our physical well-being?
We have learned from our discussion of emotion in the earlier writings
that our thoughts and emotions can modify how our body reacts.
One of our bodily reactions is of course, disease, and we do not usually
think of physical disease-stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, cancer, tuberculosis,
asthma-as reactions that can be influenced by thoughts and feelings. But there is a
good deal of evidence that the course, and perhaps the very occurrence, of such
illnesses can be influenced by the psychological states of their victims. Such a disorder
is called a psychosomatic disorder and is defined as a disorder of the body (the soma)
that is influenced by, or in the strongest case, caused by the mind (the psyche).
The field that deals with these disorders stands at the border of psychology and medicine,
and is now called “behavioral medicine” (Blanchard).
Then I will present an overview of psychosomatic, or psychophysiological
disorders, followed by a close look at three such disorders: peptic ulcers,
high blood pressure, and sudden death. We will then distill the principles
used to analyze these three examples by discussing various theoretical approaches
to psychosomatics. We begin with a striking example of a psychosomatic
phenomenon on the skin: stigmata.
STIGMATA
One of the most dramatic examples of psychosomatic disorder is the rare
phenomenon of stigmata. Stigmata are marks on the skin-usually bleeding
or bruises-often of high religious or personal significance, brought on
by an emotional state. About 300 instances of stigmata, many of them
called miracles, have been reported in the last 2,000 years. Most are found in
religious histories, but only a handful of these are documented well enough
to take seriously scientifically. But this handful provides the quintessential
demonstration or a psychosomatic phenomenon: a mental state causing the
body to react In a way usually thought of as being purely physical.
Consider the following case history:
Since childhood, Steven had suffered from nightmares and sleepwalking. His
Sleepwalking became a particular problem when, in 1935, he was hospitalized because
of an infection. To prevent him from sleepwalking about the ward in the
middle of the night he was restrained physically while he slept: his hands were
tightly hound behind his back when he went to sleep. On one such occasion he
awoke, and in a half-conscious state, found himself tied down. Although he could
not untie his hands, he was still able to evade his bodyguard and escape into the
surrounding countryside, from which he returned a few hours later.
Some ten years later, at age thirty-five Steven was again admitted to a hospital
-this time in an attempt to cure his recurrent sleepwalking. One evening at about
midnight the nurse saw him struggling violently on his bed, apparently having a
nightmare. He was holding his hands behind his back and seemed to be trying to
free them from some imaginary bond. After carrying on in this way for about an
hour. he crept out of bed still holding his hands behind his back, and disappeared
into the hospital grounds. He returned twenty minutes later in a state of normal
consciousness. As the nurse put him into bed, she noted deep wells like rope
marks on each arm, but until then Steven seemed unaware of their presence. The
next day the marks were still visible and were observed by the hospital staff. Three
nights later the marks had disappeared.
His physician believed that the marks were stigmata caused by reliving the traumatic
event of a decade earlier. To test this, he caused Steven to relive the experience of
ten years before under a hypnotic drug. While reliving the experience,
Steven writhed violently on the couch for about three-quarters of an hour. After a
few minutes they also appeared on both forearms. Gradually these became deeply
indented and finally blood appeared along their course. Next morning the marks
were still clearly visible. (Moody).
Here is a clear example of an essentially psychosomatic phenomenon. A
process that we usually believe to he strictly physical-the appearance of
rope marks and bleeding-is induced by the mental state of recalling a traumatic
incident with high emotion. The patient was carefully observed during
the development of the rope marks, and there is no ready explanation
other than an emotional state influencing a physical state.
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE THERAPY APPLIED TO PSYCHOSOMATIC DISORDERS HAS BEEN PROVEN SUCCESSFUL.
For the Treatment method I recommend click here:
http://theliberatormethod.com/Welcome.html
For the Treatment method I recommend click here:
http://theliberatormethod.com/Welcome.html