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Some unexplained physical symptoms may be caused by unresolved emotional trauma

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Re: Some unexplained physical symptoms may be caused by unresolved emotional trauma

#91

Post by gf263 »

afpx wrote: post #87
_ywdj wrote: post #40

I’ve been testing this hypothesis - as best as one possibly can without conventional medical support - for the past few years. I’ve found that with persistence, emotion-based therapies are effective at bringing about healing of chronic physiological illnesses. Prior to that I’d spent several frustrating years seeking diagnosis for conditions that were debilitating but not apparently identifiable or treatable. To me t…

I had a lot of trauma as a child, and it left me with an enlarged and overly-connected amygdala. If I was living 10,000 years ago, this wouldn’t be so bad. It would just result in an over-active fight/flight response. However, in the modern day, it results in an ‘always-on’ stress response which saturates my body with stress hormones. And, the stress hormones cause lots of other health issues, and it becomes a cycle…

Meditation seems to be able to shrink the amygdala: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2015/05...

Re: Some unexplained physical symptoms may be caused by unresolved emotional trauma

#92

Post by idclip »

I’m a religious atheist, or a mystical one, by choice. (Please don’t pick on my choice of words)

That road is full of drama and pain, and I’m very glad to have discovered Carl Jung, Alan Watts and Robert Bly.

Health wise, it may be too late, but I’m still very very thankful, and wish I discovered all this earlier.

If anyone here is suffering, send me a message. I will do my best so you suffer less in this world.

Re: Some unexplained physical symptoms may be caused by unresolved emotional trauma

#93

Post by e40 »

theoh wrote: post #17
e40 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And the website.. global and mail... seriously, this is not HN worthy.

It's the biggest newspaper in Canada. What is the problem?

I got it confused with Daily Mail. Downvotes warranted.

Re: Some unexplained physical symptoms may be caused by unresolved emotional trauma

#94

Post by crazygringo »

thaw13579 wrote: post #33
crazygringo wrote: post #16

I'm struggling to see what's new here -- this has been known for decades. Just look into any decent book on myofascial release massage, or rolfing, or somatic meditation -- our long-term emotional states, repression, etc. directly affect our muscles, posture, digestion, back pain, etc., and releasing those emotional states can be achieved via a combination of psychotherapy to address the emotional sources, and massag…

I'd be interested to read more about this -- can you recommend any references, particularly regarding benefits for performance?

I mean there's so much, but to start: it was Alexander Technique (see Gelb's "Body Learning" for an overview) that started it all, with regards to voice in acting. For the link between psychology and vocal production, see Jennifer Hamady's "The Art of Singing". The classic text on acting voice production and the psychology behind it is Kristin Linklater's "Freeing the Natural Voice", which also draws from neuroscientist Antonio Damasio's work such as "Descartes' Error" which provides a scientific basis for how our mind is reflected in our body. In terms of bodywork, start with Mary Bond's "The New Rules of Posture" and Davies' "The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook".

Re: Some unexplained physical symptoms may be caused by unresolved emotional trauma

#95

Post by ceras »

bornon5 wrote: post #56
ceras wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I left a recent comment on HN about this[0], and at the risk of sounding like a shill I'll share it again as it helped at least one person :) My experience tracks with yours, and it really does seem like modern medicine is missing something important. The book The Mind-Body Prescription[1] by Dr. Sarno covers this exact topic, and made a huge impact on my life and the life of a friend of mine. It's a worthwhile read…

I've seen this book recommended from time to time. I have a condition that falls within the book's purported domain, but when I read the synopsis, it raised all kinds of red flags. As a skeptic, what about this book let it through your filters? I really want to be open to it.

What let it through my filter was:

(1) I'd already spent time and money on traditional treatments with neutral or even negative results. So $11 and a few hours reading wasn't that hard to stomach

(2) I heard it recommended by others who were similarly skeptical, which put it on my radar. Otherwise I may have just given up.

(3) I felt confident I could read the whole book with a truly open mind. I told myself before starting that I'd suspend any disbelief for the duration of reading the book and implementing its practices, and only critically re-engage after that period ended. I.e. I felt I could read it as a practitioner and not a theoretician.

To elaborate on #3, this may sound very uncomfortable, but the book's value is not in accuracy but in efficacy. It's an open question to me if the author's explanation as to why the system works is 100% "true" in a physical sense, but he explains it very well to an audience that is unsure. Regardless, whether it's "true" is ultimately an academic concern compared to the book clicking with a (possibly less rational :)) subconscious part of your mind in a way that resolves your very real chronic pain/illness.

Re: Some unexplained physical symptoms may be caused by unresolved emotional trauma

#96

Post by cpncrunch »

scotty79 wrote: post #80
_ywdj wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think that just rising the pressure, heart rate and increasing few hormones without moving muscles enough causes inflamation. Correct. > The reason is not important. I didn't say it did from an objective point of view, but in order to remove the inflammation you need to identify and discontinue the emotion that's causing it. Maybe the use of the word "trauma" is a red herring for you. It's any emotional state tha…

I have to agree with you that chronically reminding yourself about a bad thing that happend to you can spike your pressure and other potentially dangerous stuff and if you can talk yourself out of this habit it might improve your health. With myself I observe that I tend to revisit my past minor traumas only when my body is in bad shape. Not enough sleep, flu, not eating enough. Then I obsess about past suffering. Bu…

>But after I get enough rest or flu passes, puff, my obsession with trauma is gone. So I'm not quite sure if traumas are often the cause not just symptom.

That is true for the most part. However sometimes there are ongoing stressors that aren't easily resolved (such as a problematic relationship or job). In those cases the stress is ongoing, and can lead to detrimental health effects.

And even when the stress has been removed, sometimes the illness can continue (as happens in CFS, which I suffered from myself). In these situations it may be the stress and depression from the illness itself that leads to a vicious cycle.

Re: Some unexplained physical symptoms may be caused by unresolved emotional trauma

#97

Post by OpenBSD-empire »

I'm surprised no one in this thread brought up the Adverse Childhood Experiences study. An ACE of 6/10, as compared to a 0/10, may actually have worse deleterious effects than a lifetime of smoking. A six score on average dies twenty years younger than a zero (when correcting for lifestyles and risk-behaviors between the two groups)!

Re: Some unexplained physical symptoms may be caused by unresolved emotional trauma

#98

Post by OpenBSD-empire »

_ywdj wrote: post #40

I’ve been testing this hypothesis - as best as one possibly can without conventional medical support - for the past few years. I’ve found that with persistence, emotion-based therapies are effective at bringing about healing of chronic physiological illnesses. Prior to that I’d spent several frustrating years seeking diagnosis for conditions that were debilitating but not apparently identifiable or treatable. To me t…

Were you able to remember all the instances? If so you're lucky. I'm stuck with fleeting flash bulbs of what I would guess to be a small percentage in my 'library' of adverse experiences.

Re: Some unexplained physical symptoms may be caused by unresolved emotional trauma

#99

Post by theredking »

_ywdj wrote: post #40

I’ve been testing this hypothesis - as best as one possibly can without conventional medical support - for the past few years. I’ve found that with persistence, emotion-based therapies are effective at bringing about healing of chronic physiological illnesses. Prior to that I’d spent several frustrating years seeking diagnosis for conditions that were debilitating but not apparently identifiable or treatable. To me t…

I'm very curious as to how you discovered and delt with said trauma do you have any pointers we can look out for?

Re: Some unexplained physical symptoms may be caused by unresolved emotional trauma

#100

Post by RandomInteger4 »

afpx wrote: post #87
_ywdj wrote: post #40

I’ve been testing this hypothesis - as best as one possibly can without conventional medical support - for the past few years. I’ve found that with persistence, emotion-based therapies are effective at bringing about healing of chronic physiological illnesses. Prior to that I’d spent several frustrating years seeking diagnosis for conditions that were debilitating but not apparently identifiable or treatable. To me t…

I had a lot of trauma as a child, and it left me with an enlarged and overly-connected amygdala. If I was living 10,000 years ago, this wouldn’t be so bad. It would just result in an over-active fight/flight response. However, in the modern day, it results in an ‘always-on’ stress response which saturates my body with stress hormones. And, the stress hormones cause lots of other health issues, and it becomes a cycle…

How did you find out about the size of your amygdala?
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