The Physical Symptoms Of Emotional Distress
Mona-Lize Moolman
in Energy, Energy Nutrition, Healing, Health, Mental Health and Well-being
November 14, 2022
The physical manifestations of emotional distress are called somatic symptoms, and these are prevalent around the world.
What Is A Somatic Symptom?
Growing up is an achy, uncomfortable time for children as their bodies stretch and reshape, so physical discomfort is “commonplace”. It can be difficult to diagnose, in one GP appointment, whether an ache or pain is a growing pain or a somatic condition, and this is why pinpointing an emotional source is beyond the capabilities of mainstream medicine.
Examples of somatisation can include a faster heart rate, unsettled stomach, muscle spasms, stomach cramps, shortness of breath, teeth clenching and, in extreme cases, it changes into another condition that involves self-harming. Society may start to call a person a hypochondriac, but that is a misplaced title. If a person is perfectly happy and perfectly healthy and is then ‘faking’ an illness, hypochondria MIGHT apply but not if there is an underlying emotional source.
SSRD – Somatic Symptoms And Related Disorder
If a person has physical symptoms that do not fit an illness in medical textbooks, then the diagnosis is most likely Somatic Symptom and Related Disorder (SSRD). In addition, if symptoms do fit a textbook diagnosis, but the frequency of the symptoms is abnormally high, then SSRD is likely.
These symptoms can interfere with quality of life, ability to study or work, desire to socialise and the desire to leave the house and explore life.
The symptoms may include, but are not limited to:
- Physical pain, e.g. headaches, muscular spasms, inflamed joints
- Stomach and digestive tract pain, nausea and/or vomiting
- Lethargy, vertigo, loss of memory
- Loss of strength and areas of numbness
- Difficulty breathing
- Unusually fast vision or hearing reduction, even sudden blindness
- The feeling of an inexplicable lump in the throat
- Seizure-like occurrences, fainting episodes or unusual movements
How Are Somatic Disorders Diagnosed?
Depending on where you start your journey, you might be sent to various professionals, such as neurologists, gastroenterologists, psychiatrists or psychologists. They might do one or some of the following:
- A physical, emotional and behavioural symptom analysis
- Assessment of daily functioning
- A physical exam
- Lab work (blood tests or other samples)
- Scans or other procedures
The mainstream professionals will have a set batch of processes that they will follow, and they will try to draw a conclusion and treatment after that.
Another Approach To Somatic Disorders
Mainstream medicine has a very important role in our lives, but it is not the answer to all afflictions. The human psyche is far too complex to be successfully treated by the small amount of medical knowledge we currently have on this planet. And that is where Metanoia plays a role. By using mainstream knowledge and alternative methods that have documented successful results, we slowly map out the unique topography that brought you to this point. And then we help you remap out your new journey, so you break free from the loop.
