SOMATIC SYMPTOM DISORDER
What is somatic symptom disorder?
Free yourself from chronic pain and discomfort. The idea that our thoughts and feelings can turn into pain (or buzzes, tingle, numbness, etc. ) might seem radical, but it’s actually rooted in basic neurophysiology. Your thoughts trigger the release of stress chemicals, which sets processes into motion for you to respond to the thoughts quickly, like ‘run,’ ‘fight,’ or ‘freeze.’ If the brain keeps getting the signal that these chemicals are required, different bodily processes struggle to stay balanced, and physical symptoms eventually occur. There are certain examples of our bodies doing something like this that we’re all very comfortable with - your face turns red because you’re embarrassed, or you become nauseous because you’re about to give a speech. We don’t think of blood rushing to the face as a reason to contact a cardiologist, or the red color a reason to call a dermatologist, nor the stomach ache to call the gastroenterologist. Chronic pain and pelvic pain and a host of other chronic symptoms are basically the same idea. Even as you read this now, if you take a moment and really ponder your debt, the loss of your closest friend, your most embarrassing moments, etc., you’ll feel things throughout your body. Certain combinations of those things you feel, when they’re succinct, you would label as an emotion. However there might be very nuanced sensations that you simply ignore or get accustomed to. We often don’t talk about them as comfortably as we do face-blushing, especially if it’s something like a sudden burning sensation in the genitals that can last for hours or days, and then just disappears. We might ask why sadness over loss would show up in your back, as a headache, or as a ringing in the ear, but would also ask, why would the thought of talking to people show up in your stomach? We’re still figuring that out, but therapists who work with somatic symptoms know that from working with millions of people on these disorders that the mind is very powerful.
In my practice I see that getting people in touch with the fleeting thoughts about things that scare them - the opposing political party, getting old, money, loneliness, etc. - along with the ways that their bodies experience those thoughts, how their symptoms are “somaticizing,” and this really helps them deal with chronic symptoms in profound ways. This is because when we have persistent scary thoughts, our bodies persistently get stuck in states that mimic those thoughts, signaling to our brains that something is wrong. After enough time, and perhaps having to do with people’s predisposition to mind-body disorders, the steady influx of chronic stress hormones can manifest as pain or other discomfort.
So the theory is that by reversing that process, the symptoms go away. And they do.
Stages of Treating Somatic Symptom Disorder
Treatment looks different from person to person, as do symptoms, but the steps are generally straightforward:
- Diagnose. I network with somatic symptom disorder doctors and clinicians around the world. Before addressing the underlying psychological stressors that are leading to your symptoms or exacerbation of symptoms, you may want to consult with doctors consistent with your ailment. That said, the majority of people out there googling something like somatic symptom disorder have already been to a multitude of doctors, and have noticed patterns between symptom flare-ups and stress.
- Gather evidence. Are there patterns in your symptoms? Did your symptoms appear directly after a death or breakup? Do they reduce on Saturdays, disappear on vacation, and/or reappear Monday morning (or Sunday night), or at the holidays? Do you have huge lingering anxieties that you try to ignore?
- Approach the symptoms in a careful but consistent manner. Some people are relieved just learning that sometimes pain or discomfort has a psychological basis. That said, someone whose back pain just disappeared needn’t run right out and chop down a tree. We start by raising the axe, breathing, being mindful of the fear, soothing the fear, letting your body know that you’re going to be okay, and proceeding…