We are keen to delve deeper into what psychosomatics is because we believe in its principles and we talk about it in many articles on our website.
Index
- What is psychosomatics?
- Origins of Psychosomatics
- Listening to the body’s messages
- Disciplines that teach psychosomatics
- Psychosomatics in prevention
- Awareness
- Resolution of internal conflicts
- Lifestyle
What is psychosomatics?
Psychosomatics is a discipline that studies the connection between mind and body . It is a holistic approach to health that considers the person in his or her entirety, analyzing how psychological, emotional and social factors can influence the development of physical disorders.
This approach considers the body and mind as a unit, where stress, emotions and thoughts can manifest themselves through physical symptoms, sometimes without an obvious organic cause.
Origins of Psychosomatics
The term “psychosomatic” was first coined in 1818 by the German psychiatrist Heinroth, but its roots date back to antiquity. In the 5th century BC, Hippocrates emphasized the importance of considering the psyche in the treatment of diseases.
In the 20th century the discipline began to develop scientifically. Pioneering figures such as Sigmund Freud, who first intuited the possible psychological origin of some physical disorders, and Wilhelm Reich and Franz Alexander, who explored the connection between emotions and illnesses, laid the foundations for modern psychosomatic medicine.
Psychosomatic medicine was then consolidated with the development of psycho-neuro-endocrine-immunology (PNEI), which demonstrates how the nervous, endocrine and immune systems are closely connected to emotions and stress.
Listening to the body’s messages
The body speaks to us continuously, signaling us when there are people, situations, emotions that are not doing us any good. But we are used to listening to it little, to “turning off” its messages with distraction, food, smoking, alcohol, a painkiller pill. And so, a small disorder can turn into something more serious.
Psychosomatics invites us to listen carefully to what our body is signaling us with pain, stiffness, itching, intolerances, sensations of discomfort, real illnesses.
Stress , anxiety, emotional trauma and other psychological factors can alter the functioning of the nervous, immune and endocrine systems, increasing vulnerability to diseases such as hypertension, chronic inflammatory diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, headaches and many others.
Every disorder can have a meaning and help the healing process.
Disciplines that teach psychosomatics
Psychosomatics does not deny the importance of organic and biological factors in the development of diseases, but emphasizes how psychological and relational aspects can also play a significant role.
This is why he suggests integrating stress management techniques into our lives, such as meditation , mindfulness, yoga and, in the case of specific illnesses, psychotherapy and holistic medicine to help us recognize and address the psychological causes of our physical ailments.
Psychosomatics in prevention
Understanding how emotions, thoughts and stress affect our physical health allows us to adopt targeted preventive strategies to promote general well-being and reduce the risk of developing psychosomatic disorders.
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To prevent the onset of psychosomatic disorders it is important to develop:
Awareness
Knowing ourselves, how our body communicates with us, what causes us stress and what makes us feel good, knowing when to give our best and when to stop and rest, is the first step to a serene and healthy life.
Resolution of internal conflicts
Many discomforts are caused by internal and relational conflicts. Exploring them also with therapeutic help can promote the resolution of some disorders.
Lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle, with a healthy diet , adequate physical activity and the right amount of time for a restful sleep promote both physical and emotional well-being.
Psychosomatics represents a bridge between medicine and psychology, offering a broader and more integrated vision of well-being and offers an integrated and complete approach to prevention, considering the person in his or her entirety. Investing in prevention and psychosomatic care means promoting a balance between physical and emotional health, for complete and lasting well-being.
