What Is Somatic Experiencing?

Somatization: A person who originally had emotional problems or psychological disorders, but did not show it as a psychological symptom, but transformed it into a variety of somatic symptoms.

Chinese name: Severe physical symptoms

Foreign name: somatization
Applied discipline: psychology

Somatization concept

The term somatization was coined by Stekel at the beginning of this century, when it was referring to the hypothetical process of "entrenched" neurosis that causes somatic disorders. Later, Katon et al. Described somatization as a phenomenon that expresses mental discomfort by physical symptoms, mainly due to social and cultural background, that is, social interpersonal relationships, and a means of expressing and coping with social and personal troubles. Lipowski also claims that it is a tendency for individuals to experience and express physical discomfort and symptoms under psychological stress reactions. Such physical discomfort and symptoms cannot be confirmed by pathological findings. Kleinman believes that somatization is an evolutionary process of "biological, psychological, and social". Through this process, somatic symptoms are used to express and explain problems between individuals and interpersonal relationships, and experience becomes somatic symptoms. In other words, they are talking about physical symptoms, and they are talking about social and psychological problems. ^[1]

Somatization

Somatization somatization is a degenerative behavior

Psychoanalysis believes that because the psychological structure of infants and children is not fully developed, they cannot communicate in language, and individuals respond to external stimuli mainly at the physical level. Then when encountering anxiety and fear, the individual will form a primitive body reaction pattern. This kind of reaction can be understood as the child's somatic behavior language. Good mothers can understand the infant's body language well and give just the right satisfaction. However, if the infant's anxiety, tension, and needs are not understood and satisfied for a long time and severely, physical discomfort and bad feelings will accumulate. Although the language develops as the child grows up, the pre-language Feelings can only remain in the subconscious forever. When encountering setbacks and pressures, when encountering difficulties, the earlier physical response will reappear, making patients feel an irrational, neurotic physical discomfort and anxiety. , And will motivate to find the cause, causing doubt and delusion. Freud calls this process "re-somatization", which is a degradation process, that is, returning to the early stages of development.

Somatization somatization symptoms are the product of suppressed subconscious desires

The psychoanalytic theory regards the formation of somatization as a subconscious process, by which a person transforms his inner contradictions or conflicts into visceral and autonomic nerve dysfunctions, thereby getting rid of his predicament. For example, using somatization symptoms to replace unpleasant feelings in the heart, alleviating self-guilt caused by some reasons, expressing certain thoughts and emotions, etc. So patients use somatization symptoms to achieve the psychological purpose of suppressing subconsciousness.

SomatizationThe symptoms of somatization are for secondary benefit

The intentional or unintentional benefit of symptoms is one of the cleverness that we humans gain in social survival. We can not go to school or work through disease, we are allowed to retire, we receive labor insurance, we avoid blame and criticism, and we are exempted from certain responsibilities and obligations. Seeking attention and sympathy from others is a very common phenomenon. These are not patients' complete intentional camouflage, but they play this game intentionally or unintentionally. Like the funeral of the game, the consequences of being addicted to this game can not be extricated, so that self-pity, resentment, and personal development are hindered. The hindered development of the result makes the individual more fixed on playing the disease game. Become his important job. In other words, first of all, they only got some benefits. Later, they shifted their focus to suspected diseases. Morita therapy emphasizes not giving up life and work, and doing it naturally, just to break this magic game and return to real life, then the treatment is also in it.

Because social and cultural norms encourage the expression of physical symptoms and can be sympathetic and understood, complaining of emotional distress often does not receive listening and support, and is even regarded as weak and incompetent, so that patients invent a large number of physical symptoms. Achieving "secondary benefits". Therefore, somatization has become a way for patients to cope with psychological and social difficulties and meet their own needs. ^[1]

Key points of somatization diagnosis

In the specific clinical medical process, we must not ignore the real physical disease due to certain psychological factors, which may cause misdiagnosis or delay treatment. So while patients with somatization tend to undergo various tests to rule out organic diseases, we must consider the possibility of somatization disorders. We must follow the principles of necessity and simplicity when doing tests. Excessive examination is unnecessary. Sometimes careful collection of medical history and physical examination is more important than various tests, and it can help us to understand the patient comprehensively to make a correct diagnosis. For the patient's physical complaint, we should pay attention to the following points in diagnosis:

1, there are biological, psychological, social environment and other predisposing factors, of which psychological factors may be fully exposed under the inspiration of doctors;

2. Symptoms are numerous, but ambiguous, involving multiple systems, and the course of the disease is at least 2 years. Patients are uneasy about this and seek medical advice or medication everywhere;

3. Continuously reject the advice and guarantees of multiple doctors that their symptoms are not explained by physical disease;

4. Symptoms and the behaviors they cause cause a certain degree of impairment of social and family functions;

5. Patients often use these symptoms to cope with mental stress and express distress, and the family, school, and society often play a supporting role indirectly and unconsciously;

6. Patients can get "social benefits", but on the other hand, they strengthen the original psychophysiological symptoms. ^[1]