Psychosomatics of arthritis: causes and treatment from a psychological point of view. Psychological causes of arthritis and arthrosis (Psychosomatics)
The physical health of the human body is directly related to the psychological state. The science that studies such connections is called psychosomatics. Scientists have long proven the relationship between a disease arising from a mental disorder and a person’s internal state. Arthrosis and arthritis are the most common joint diseases that can develop in both older people and young children. What is psychosomatic arthritis and how are these concepts related?
Arthritis and its features
Quite common inflammatory disease all joints of the body, can affect them simultaneously or only one, for example, knee-joint. When pressing directly on the disturbing area, a person experiences pain that does not go away even during rest. At the site of inflammation, swelling appears on the skin and a slight local increase in body temperature.
What can be said about the mental and emotional threshold of such patients? They often hide their emotions and feelings very well, are withdrawn and rarely ask for help.
A person with arthritis has the following qualities:
- He is very cruel to himself, but in the family he tries to be gentle and quietly subjugate those close to him to his will. Thus, he simply drives himself into a frenzy in order to achieve the fulfillment of his goals and desires.
- Women imitate male behavior and become tough and strong. Such people lose the line between “good” and “bad.”
- Before making a decision, they weigh everything; spontaneity has no place in their life.
- In childhood (perhaps due to the tyranny of their parents), such people were deeply immersed in their emotions and hid their emotions. Therefore, even as an adult, I never learned to express and show my feelings.
Many mental problems that appear in adults are the fault of parents. An incorrect approach to education leaves an indelible mark on a person’s entire subsequent life. Containing any emotions leads to their accumulation and ultimately to the development of this disease.
When diagnosing arthritis, it is almost certain that the patient is experiencing an internal conflict with his ego.
The disease occurs in people who cannot clearly say what they want. They are unable to relax, but can only burden themselves and create many problems.
Doctors say that if there are problems with the joints, a person experiences doubts and fear regarding his failures. If you are unable to convince yourself otherwise on your own, seek help from a psychologist; medications are unlikely to help in this case.
Psychosomatics of the disease
Unfortunately, arthritis is a serious matter; all human joints are affected by the disease. Let's look at them separately and figure out which ones exist mental problems in one or another part of the body.
Psychosomatic causes of arthritis of the fingers may be:
- Rheumatoid arthritis. Its psychological causes: a person takes on too much. There is an unbearable load or burden, a feeling of burden, anger at oneself. To get out of this state, you need to understand that the strength is you, you need to believe in yourself, appreciate and, most importantly, approve.
- Psychologist Louise Hay believes that a person, experiencing emotions of condemnation towards himself, a desire to be punished, sacrifice, guilt or other negative manifestations of feelings towards himself, provokes the development of this disease. This problem can be solved; to do this, you should repeat and deeply believe in the words of self-love. It is important to understand that love passes through you and fills you completely.
- Psychosomatics of arthritis - speaks of a lack of love both for oneself and for people in general. The feeling of “lack of love”, intimacy and self-resentment prevails. It is important to heal by recognizing that you are the source of boundless love. You need to treat other people around you with love and bring peace.
- Rheumatoid arthritis according to Liz Burbo. The psychologist claims that a person suffering from this disease is very unhappy in his emotions, he is secretive and very strict towards himself. It is difficult for him to express his emotions, desires, and even during difficulties or troubles, turn to other people for help. Such a person believes that those around him know about his needs and should independently offer help in this or that problem. But if expectations are not met, a person withdraws into himself, accumulating resentment, anger and even revenge.
Arthrosis and its features
Arthrosis is a chronic joint disease, but has some differences from arthritis. It's all about the inflammatory process, which is absent in this case. The joints are bothered by unpleasant pain in the morning; it takes time for them to “warm up” and begin to function normally. The structure of the joint itself changes, it becomes deformed, but this process proceeds very slowly and takes a long time. long time.
In terms of mental state, these diseases are very similar, but with arthrosis a person experiences negative emotions towards others, and not towards himself. The main reason is the lack of pleasant and kind feelings towards the people nearby.
Such a person is very vulnerable and writes off all life’s mistakes as failures. He shifts responsibility for his actions onto the shoulders of other people, while he himself complains about those around him.
The main reasons for the development lie in frequent nervous tension, depression and frequent stressful situations. In case of shortage joint fluid The cartilage begins to wear away, and arthrosis occurs.
A person who is sick with arthrosis is often very sweet and kind to others, but in the middle he seethes with indignation and negative emotions. A person simply cannot cope with an excess of emotional sensations and cannot throw them out in a timely manner.
The patient has the following qualities:
- What a person holds back in himself leads to the release of stress hormones into the blood. They are the ones who reduce the production of hyaluronic acid in the joints.
- With an unstable nervous system, the muscles are in constant tone. This condition is very harmful to the diseased joint. In this case, pinched joints begin to change their shape and, therefore, function incorrectly.
- The disease is also found in emotionally tired people, where any feelings simply do not appear.
It is very important to pay attention to your mental and emotional condition. If necessary, do not be afraid to seek help from a specialist. It is the doctor who will help you deal with current problems.
Psychosomatic component
Psychology is one of the popular branches of our time; it is what “straightens” the brains of sick people and leads to the restoration of a normal state. The World Health Organization claims that almost every person who has arthrosis as a disease or “state of mind” will eventually be registered with a somatic doctor.
Psychosomatic arthrosis directly depends on the human psyche; here are the most important diagnostic reasons:
- Trauma to the mental state.
- Systematic stress, nervous system disorders.
- Suppression or suppression of negative emotions such as anger, anger, resentment.
- Difficult stressful situations.
It happens that people are unable to get out of constant mental tension; they become isolated and think only about their experiences. If a normal person with a healthy psyche tries to get out of an unpleasant situation, avoid it or forget it faster, then a sick person will constantly torment himself.
Of course, these torments do not go away; on the contrary, they accumulate inside, over time manifesting themselves in the form of diseases, in our case it is arthrosis or arthritis. However, medical research claims that not every manifestation of the disease indicates problems with a person’s mental state.
It is important to know the symptoms exactly psychosomatic disorder:
- Long-term therapeutic treatment does not bring the desired relief.
- State of health and general well-being in better side does not change, and if a person has gone through severe stress or encountered problems, the manifestations of the disease become more pronounced.
How to help yourself?
It is important to understand that if you have arthritis or arthrosis, then you should think about what you are doing wrong and what you feel most often at such moments. Ask for help, be more welcoming and open. If you often infringe on yourself in some way, considering your desires to be a manifestation of selfishness, think carefully about whether this is really so. Refuse whenever you don’t like an activity, don’t be afraid to be a traitor in the eyes of others or yourself. And if you take on something, be cheerful and do the work with joy.
Psychological reasons arthritis and arthrosis lie deep in our experiences, in our head and our subconscious. It is very difficult to identify this or that problem on your own. But even if you find a problem in yourself, getting rid of it is not always easy. In such cases, only specialists can help you: psychologists, psychotherapists, everyone who works in this field.
Give yourself more freedom, love and appreciate yourself. Remember, you are an individual and there is no one else like you! Internal criticism is very tiring and frightening, living with it is difficult and not a joy, so annoy yourself less and enjoy the simple little things in life more.
Satisfying your desires is not a terrible sin for which you should punish yourself. On the contrary, this is the meaning of our lives, we are all unique and special. Our aspirations are different from the aspirations of others; we cannot always be understood, but we can always try to understand those around us. Our weakness is our strength!
Arthritis is a disease in which a person experiences severe pain in the joints: they become inflamed, swollen, the skin over the affected area becomes red and hot to the touch, and fluid may accumulate underneath. Unpleasant sensations at the location of the disease are so strong that they lead to a certain limitation of motor capabilities.
Currently, arthritis cannot be cured by conventional medicine. Physiotherapeutic procedures are reduced mainly to alleviating the patient’s condition and do not always provide positive influence on general health. Of course, there are experimental treatments for arthritis that are offered as an alternative to most patients, but the consequences of such intervention are unpredictable. Therefore, people suffering from this disease usually turn to alternative medicine for help.
Causes of arthritis
Official medicine still cannot come to a consensus regarding the reasons that provoke the development of arthritis. Experts waver between the infectious and autoimmune theories, or consider the cause of the disease to be a symbiosis of infection and the activity of autoimmune antibodies.
However, Louise Hay, who wrote world-famous bestsellers about self-healing of the soul and body, believes that this disease arises due to a subconscious rejection of one’s own personality, a desire to punish oneself for something. In addition, Louise argues that as a result of a critical attitude towards oneself, inflated demands, and constant condemnation of one’s actions, the body launches a program of self-destruction, leading to a limitation of a person’s motor activity and a significant deterioration in the quality of his life.
Clearer and more practical than the conclusions modern medicine and the theory of Louise Hay, a model for the occurrence of arthritis is offered by the traditional Indian healing system of Ayurveda, according to which the basis of this disease is an oversaturation of the body with toxins. Every year, the interest of patients and scientists in the Ayurvedic theory, which explains the causes of joint damage, is growing, since it has not only been proven by thousands of years of experience, but also allows one to achieve real results in the fight against arthritis.
Mechanisms of development of joint diseases according to Ayurveda
Ayurveda calls arthritis by the sonorous name “Amavata”. Translated from Sanskrit, “Ama” means “undigested”, and “Vata” is one of the fundamental concepts of Ayurveda - the energy of movement. That is, joint damage is caused by an excess of toxins accumulating in the body due to disruption of the harmonious movement of energy.
The reason for this imbalance is primarily the weakness of Agni (digestive fire), leading to the storage of undigested food residues in the intestines. The driving force of Vata carries toxins throughout the body and they are deposited in various fabrics, disrupting the correctness of the metabolic process. Arthritis may also occur due to disturbances in the harmonious activity of other Doshas (main physiological processes). Therefore, Ayurveda offers various treatment complexes for different types of diseases.
Ayurvedic classification of arthritis
- Pitta type disease. It is characterized by severe inflammation, swelling, burning in the affected joints and fever. In warmth the pain becomes stronger, and in cold it decreases. Ayurveda lists additional symptoms as indigestion (diarrhea), irritability and sweating.
- Vata type disease. In this case, it seems that the pain in the joints moves, pulsates, radiates to neighboring tissues, becomes unbearable in the cold, but loses intensity in the warmth. The skin over the inflamed joint feels very dry to the touch and sometimes peels off. The joints themselves crunch and even creak a little, their mobility is difficult and limited. This type of arthritis is often accompanied by increased gas formation, severe pain in the spine, nervousness, excessive excitability and unreasonable fears. In addition, any intense physical activity - jogging, dancing, jumping, etc. - significantly increase pain.
- Kapha type disease. This type of arthritis is characterized by the presence of significant swelling near the affected joints and a clear localization of aching, incessant pain, aggravated by dampness, cold and rest, but weakened by warmth and after physical activity. The skin near the joint is oily to the touch. Ayurveda also says that the disease may be accompanied by difficulty breathing and shooting pains in the neck.
Treatment of Pitta type joint inflammation
In Ayurveda, Pitta signifies heating and transformation. Since the disease is caused by an overabundance of this Dosha, the main task of the doctor is to reduce Pitta. This is achieved by a whole complex therapeutic measures, including:
- Diet. Spicy and hot foods are completely prohibited; you also cannot eat tomatoes, pickled cucumbers (swelling increases), and greens (especially spinach).
- Compresses, lotions. Ice compresses (you can take ice cubes from the refrigerator) and lotions with sandalwood paste or coconut oil quickly relieve pain and swelling.
- Herbal treatment. Ayurveda suggests the use of margosa, saffron, turmeric, sandalwood, guggul, and chaparrel.
- Taking Ayurvedic medications. Kayshore guggul tablets - 1 pc. x 3 times a day. Sudarshan powder - 0.5 tsp. x 3 times a day.
- Breathing exercises. Sitali pranayama brings very strong relief: a tube is rolled up from the tongue, deep breath mouth (using the stomach, not the lungs), then the breath is held and a deep exhalation is made through the nose. The exercise must be repeated at least 12 times.
- Yoga. Regular practice of exercises such as Cow's Head, Boat, Grasshopper, Bow, Camel and Moon Salutation restores the balance of doshas in the body, reduces inflammation, relieves swelling and eliminates pain.
Treatment of Watt-type joint inflammation
The main goal of treatment in this case is general detoxification of the body, therefore the complex of therapeutic measures consists of elements that help calm the driving energy and improve digestion.
- Diet. It is recommended to eat only light and warm foods. Drinks should also be warm. Salads, legumes, corn, barley, eggplant, and tomatoes are prohibited.
- Compresses, lotions. Mahanarayan oil is applied to painful areas and swelling (with the exception of the neck), covered with a damp heated towel with mustard powder.
- Herbal treatment. Tonic decoctions of galangal and ashwagandha are shown.
- Taking Ayurvedic medications. Medicine yogaraj guggul 1 pc. x 3 times a day.
- Purgation. It is carried out by using the Triffala composition (can be replaced with castor oil).
- Yoga. Ayurveda advises seeking relief from the painful condition through the exercises “Maha Mudra”, “Knees to Chest”, “Forward Bend”.
Treatment of Kapha-type joint inflammation
Kapha dosha is responsible for the water-salt balance in the body, therefore the basis of treatment is elimination excess liquid and restoration of the harmonious interaction of all Doshas.
- Diet. Dairy products, sugar, cold drinks and fatty foods are contraindicated. In addition, it is imperative to flavor food with spices such as ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, red pepper and Trikatu so that the liquid does not stagnate in the body.
- Massage. It is recommended to carry out warming procedures with the addition of vacha powder, mustard oil or red pepper.
- Compresses. Compresses made from dry ground ginger combined with dry boergavia are especially effective in removing fluid that accumulates during arthritis and relieving swelling.
- Taking Ayurvedic medications. Punarnava guggul tablets 1 pc. x 3 times a day.
- Yoga. The exercises “Triangle”, “Tree”, “Back Twist”, “Forward Bend” help to reduce the activity of Kapha.
Basic principles of treatment of joint diseases according to Ayurveda
Sometimes it is very difficult to determine the type of arthritis, since the overall picture of the disease is blurred or, on the contrary, it is clearly manifested characteristics all types of illness. Therefore, Ayurveda also offers a universal healing complex aimed at burning toxins and restoring Agni (digestive fire).
- Diet. It is recommended to regularly use cinnamon, red pepper, galangal and dried ginger in cooking. It is useful to fast once a month (but no more than a day). Heavy and wet foods(sweets, cookies, pastries, etc.).
- Treatment with precious stones. The hot energy of garnets or rubies, repeatedly enhanced by a gold frame, will help quick cleansing body, will remove swelling. However, if you have a severe fever, the jewelry should be removed.
- Sweatshop therapy. Steam chambers or saunas help remove toxins and help harmonize all physiological processes. If a steam chamber is used, then the Dashamul composition is placed in the upper part of the device (that is, in the cauldron) (it can be replaced with special medicinal herbs - nirgundi, ephedra).
- Purgation. It is best to do enemas with a special decoction of Dashamula every day.
- Herbal treatment. It is necessary to regularly drink decoctions of turmeric, guggul, prasarini, galangal, nirgundi and musta. Degenerative arthritis ( chronic form) are treated with eleutherococcus. At the very beginning, the disease can be stopped if you take a special infusion, which requires licorice root, angelica, hoofed cloves and cinnamon, brewed in equal proportions.
- Taking Ayurvedic medicines. The most effective drugs are Mahayogaraj guggul, Triffala guggul, Yogaraj guggul.
Use of sesame oils in Ayurveda
Ayurveda includes sesame oils as a separate category of medicinal products. They are intended for external use: they return joints to their former mobility, reduce the intensity of pain, nourish tissues, and remove toxins. There are several types sesame oils with various active components, the most effective in a particular case:
- Narayan. Active ingredient- ashwagandha. It has a pronounced analgesic effect, improves blood circulation, promotes tissue restoration, and removes swelling.
- Mahanarayan. The active ingredient is shatavari. It has a positive effect on affected joints: increases their mobility, moisturizes the skin, relieves pain, relaxes muscles.
- Chandanbalalakshadi. The active ingredient is sandalwood. Pronounced cooling properties (more effectively treats Pitta-type joint diseases).
- Sakhachardi. The active ingredient is the sakhachara plant. Often used as a massage oil for rheumatoid arthritis. Procedures must be carried out every day.
Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: diagnosis, treatment
Separate recommendations in Ayurveda are given to those who suffer from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. However, the effectiveness of treatment depends on how accurate the diagnosis is, especially in the case of rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, only the characteristic clinical picture of the disease and timely laboratory diagnosis are sufficient grounds for following a specific complex of Ayurvedic treatment.
Main symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis
- Inflammation of three or more joints, swelling.
- Stiffness for at least 1 hour immediately after waking up.
- Symmetrical localization of the disease.
- Damage to the proximal interphalangeal, wrist and metacarpophalangeal joints of the hands.
- Presence of rheumatoid nodules.
- Specific radiographic changes.
- The presence of rheumatoid serum factor - special antibodies that are found in the blood of 80% of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Ayurvedic treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis
Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis are advised to:
- sihanada guggula tablets (350 mg x 3 times a day);
- chitrak adhivative tablets (200 mg x 2 times a day);
- yogaraj guggul powder (1/4 tsp x 3 times a day).
Patients with osteoarthritis are helped by:
- yogaraj guggula (1 piece x 2 times a day) in tablets;
- Gandharva Haritaki (0.5 tsp x 1 time a day - before bedtime) in powder.
Positive thinking patterns
Louise Hay and her works dedicated to in an unusual way healing of a wide variety of diseases are known to readers all over the world. Moreover, due to her ability to effectively solve problems of psychological etiology, Louise was recognized as a specialist international class. Almost all of Louise Hay's recommendations are based on both personal experience(Louise managed to recover from cancer), and on the material that was collected from the results of numerous studies studying the causes of diseases.
Louise's advice has really helped many people, not only to fully heal from various diseases, but also to open up creatively and win of various origins complexes and fears. The Louise Hay method is based on painstaking work with the human consciousness, which, according to the author, is capable of coping with absolutely any problems. The main thing is to find a positive affirmation (a stereotype of thinking), which will tune the body to the desired “self-healing program.” However, Louise draws attention to the fact that the stereotype must be formed correctly. And for this it is necessary to know exactly the cause of a particular disease.
If we talk about arthritis, Louise Hay considers the main reasons to be contempt, criticism, dislike for oneself and others, as well as condemnation, the desire to punish oneself and the feeling of being a victim. That is why the first task of a person suffering from joint inflammation is to find mental reason diseases. Positive affirmations are created according to the identified cause. Louise calls the following stereotypes the most effective for arthritis:
- Love and respect yourself. Feel like a person made of love. Treats yourself and others with love.
- Don't judge anyone. Look at everything through the prism of love. Believe that everything that happens in life is caused by love.
Louise Hay recommends repeating the formed stereotypes several times so that the thought is embedded in consciousness and the body realizes that it is now necessary to work towards recovery. This type of meditation, according to Louise’s advice, should be repeated daily and can be combined, if necessary, with any type of informal medicine.
Be sure to consult your doctor before treating any illness. This will help take into account individual tolerance, confirm the diagnosis, ensure the correctness of treatment and eliminate negative drug interactions. If you use prescriptions without consulting your doctor, it is entirely at your own risk. All information on the site is presented for informational purposes and is not a medical aid. All responsibility for use lies with you.
Today we offer an article on the topic: “Psychosomatics of rheumatoid arthritis of the joints: psychological causes.” We tried to describe everything clearly and in detail. If you have any questions, ask at the end of the article.
Personality picture
In patients at advanced stages of the condition, their tolerance and undemanding behavior is striking (Zautra et al., 1994). Their patient unpretentiousness is in conflict with objective data about the disease.
In premorbid patients are characterized as quiet, inconspicuous people. They are distinguished by diligence and conscientiousness. Their altruistic behavior is often noticeable, which, combined with energy and a thirst for activity, makes them unsurpassed mothers and tireless caregivers. Future patients pay extremely little attention to their physicality, characterized by poor self-perception and reduced self-knowledge. Their patience probably corresponds to an internal inhibition against the open expression of residual aggressive impulses (Alexander, 1951; Rimon, 1969; Schild, 1967; Weintraub, 1969).
Like patients with essential hypertension, patients with rheumatoid arthritis experience great difficulty in suppressing their hostile-aggressive impulses. However, the attempt to resolve these impulses proceeds differently for them and is a combination of self-control and “charitable” tyranny over others. Mothers suffering from rheumatoid arthritis tend to strictly control almost all motor manifestations in their children. Many of them experienced similar maternal influences in childhood, having similarly domineering mothers.
The specificity of the “rheumatic personality” is the increase in self-restraint in life relationships, in one’s own self, in one’s own body and in the communicative sphere, including in social behavior. The above can also be applied to aggressive motor impulses, which, starting from early childhood, are described as a problem area. In general, we can talk about an unsuccessful balancing of the poles of softness and hardness. Usually the tendency towards softness is suppressed by increased motor tension, muscle actions, and in women - by “male protest”. Through tension and sacrifice, one acquires the right to mix the desire for dominance and masochistic self-sacrifice. There was a preference for classes on fresh air and strength sports, a tendency to suppress the spontaneous expression of feelings, to restrain them. This characteristic applies primarily to women, who in psychosomatic observations on the study of rheumatism most often reveal contrasting or contradictory indicators.
All patients with rheumatoid arthritis exhibit three character traits with sufficient consistency:
1. Persistent manifestations of hyper-conscientiousness, commitment and external compliance, combined with a tendency to suppress all aggressive and hostile impulses, such as anger or rage.
2. Masochistic-depressive manifestations with a strong need for self-sacrifice and an excessive desire to provide help, combined with supermoral behavior and a tendency to depressive disorders moods.
3. A pronounced need for physical activity before the development of the disease (professional sports, intensive housework, gardening, etc.).
The above-mentioned character traits are, moreover, overcompensatory defenses against the underlying conflict. Hyperconscientiousness, refusal to express one's feelings and sacrifice create a protective barrier for the possible breakthrough of aggressive impulses and allow one to get rid of hostile feelings. Obsessive and depressive-masochistic manifestations are regarded as protective structures against destructively experienced tyranny. A kind of tolerance, resignation to fate, liveliness, despite limited mobility and pain are often described, which, according to psychoanalytic views, has a dual interpretation. Cremerius (1968) speaks of the “evil submission” or “loving tyranny” that emanates from the patient. Psychological tests confirm many psychodynamic premises and personal data. The Cattell test reveals pronounced modesty, humility, compliance, signs of a strong “super-ego”, i.e. patients are conscientious, self-possessed, and responsible. Projective tests reveal few interpretations of motor acts compared to control groups. This fact can be explained as a secondary reaction, i.e. due to the existing limitation of movements.
Patients with primary chronic polyarthritis are experienced patients with whom there is little trouble, although it is precisely in such patients that the greatest difficulties should be expected. They are modest and undemanding, often to the point of indifference. They are almost never clearly depressed, although fate limits the possibilities of their activities; they almost never grumble, are not obnoxious or sarcastic, and do not fall into despair or anger. Their patience and moderation are in sharp contrast to the catastrophe that is happening in their destiny.
Balance, modesty and undemanding are the result of the fact that these patients do not fully appreciate all the symptoms of the disease and the severity of its consequences. Patients perceive their deformed hands not so much as a diseased part of the body, but as an annoying nuisance. You can see with surprise what actions they perform with these hands. Contrary to expectations, sore hands are not excluded from the body scheme; patients do not spare them, do not isolate them, but perceive them as organs, although reduced and “inhibited,” but quite suitable for use, and use them accordingly. Their world of self-perception shows a certain limitation due to the reduction of their consciousness on their bodily sphere. The patient is then unpretentious, modest and patient when he perceives himself, his illness and painful condition their body parts. Modesty is a form of escape from the truth (Luban-Plozza et al., 2000).
Most of the patients with primary chronic polyarthritis were especially active and active before the disease. Their tirelessness in caring for loved ones is noteworthy. These are people who help in need and can act as a helper for years without any pretense, free of charge and without pretense of gratitude. This is the selflessness of service and tirelessness, and subsequently (after illness) the selflessness of undemandingness and modesty. Both qualities - pseudo-altruistic asceticism and patient, resigned self-denial - come from the same structural feature. What the premorbid and the disease have in common is the process of self-concealment, the reduction of self-perception, that dominates throughout the life of a patient with polyarthritis. Today, these limitations in the ability to perceive one's own feelings and use them as signals in the broad sense of the word are also described in alexithymia. Many, if not all, patients with chronic polyarthritis exhibit these signs.
Extensive studies by Cobb (1959, 1962) on intrafamilial influences on chronic polyarthritis showed the following: patients often had a cold, pretentious and authoritarian mother and a weak, suppressed father. Since childhood, patients have experienced a feeling of fear of their mother and dependence on her, accompanied by a strongly suppressed desire to rebel. Accustomed from early youth to controlling her feelings, the patient is inclined to tyrannize those around her, starting with her husband, whom she, like her mother, seeks out among weak and obliging men, ending with her children, towards whom she behaves extremely strictly. The family history of male patients gives the same data with a corresponding change in gender roles.
Psychotherapy for diseases of the musculoskeletal system
Due to diversity causal factors therapy has different directions. It includes a simple revealing conversation, short or long-term psychotherapy. The readiness of the psychotherapist and the motivation of the patient determine whether he will even want to be treated. It is advisable to use forms of treatment such as movement exercises aimed at relieving muscle tension and improving posture.
You should not start by revealing conflicts; it is more important to first establish a trusting relationship with the patient. This becomes possible with a thorough examination of the somatic condition. Later, you can begin to develop problems of activity, independence, ideals, morality, develop an attitude towards helping other people and, in general, contribute to regressive tendencies in relation to the psychotherapist. Repressed aggressiveness should not be discussed directly; if it is touched carelessly, the patient’s fear may increase and intensify defensive reactions, which could worsen his condition.
The methods of psychosynthesis, solution-focused therapy, Gestalt therapy, art therapy, body-oriented psychotherapy, and NLP are successfully used.
Positive psychotherapy for collagenosis
Rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatism- the ability to motorly process tension and conflicts with your body and sensations.
Disorders and physiology. Experimental studies have shown that emotional factors influence motor skills. In conflict-centered interviews, psychoanalytic sessions, or achievement tests, patients were subjected to mental influences that revealed aggressive tendencies. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, higher muscle tone was found in the affected joints than in healthy areas. This muscle tension usually exceeded the persistence of the action of the emotionally traumatic stimulus itself. First of all, we are talking about such mental traumas as crises in interpersonal relationships, death and loss (separation, divorce, moving) of loved ones, problems in marriage, etc.
Current and basic concepts in rheumatic disorders are associated with conflicts and traumatic situations in various areas of life.
Body: in a basic conflict there are often prohibitions that can be associated with motor skills: “stop right now!”, “stand still!”, “pull yourself together,” “shut up,” “what will people say?” This may indicate target organ selection in psychosomatic rheumatic disease.
Profession/activity: the development of rheumatic disease is closely related to professional uncertainty, competition, overstrain at work, dismissal, and pressure from the boss.
Contacts: What is important here is primarily the educational aspects. In time, the onset of symptoms is correlated with the child’s school failures, difficulties in upbringing, illness of one of the children or his separation from the family (for example, due to marriage). Constant conflicts between spouses, the loss or illness of one of the loved ones, divorce, breakup with subsequent feelings of guilt, weakness in decision-making, as well as sexual failures, relationships with others, moving and changing jobs, conflicts with neighbors and co-workers play a central role in development of the disease.
Fantasies/future: All of these areas of external conflict situations are particularly influenced by one’s own prospects for the future. Patients with rheumatism have little confidence in their own abilities, but show great trust in their loved ones and psychotherapists. Self-esteem is dominated by doubt and uncertainty.
In childhood, the upbringing of double dependence prevailed: emotional overprotection was combined with demands for achievement, which became criteria for emotional attachment. Features family character were uncertainty in the style of education, mistakes of one of the parents, lack of unity in educational process due to the intervention of grandparents, etc. In terms of content, the basic conflict was based on the following psychosocial norms:
Courtesy - directness: politeness is understood here as the suppression of aggression and the subordination of one's desires to the desires of others. It becomes a social tool that allows you to gain attention and recognition from others and “attract friendly glances.” In a family situation, politeness is revealed primarily in front of parents, who can be characterized as emotionally dependent: “What will people think?”
Obedience: in most cases one can find an emphasis on obedience. It does not, however, mean absolute submission, but rather concerns compliance with psychosocial norms such as neatness, thrift, hard work, contacts, sexuality, activity and - due to sibling rivalry - justice. The means of achieving obedience, according to the patients' stories, were more often not spankings and hits, but less expression of love or the threat of it, which resulted in a limitation of activity and initiative.
Current Ability:"politeness".
Definition and Development: ability to maintain relationships with other people. The forms of its manifestation are behavior that reflects knowledge of social norms and rules of behavior, restraint, attentiveness towards a partner and oneself, as well as modesty. Courtesy as a conscious limitation of one's own interests and needs is a socially justified suppression of aggression. To master politeness skills, learning from someone else's example (usually parents) and learning reinforced by success (from one's own behavior) play a role. How parents react to their children's seemingly impolite behavior means a lot. Politeness is part of the culture and norms of social classes.
How they ask about it. Which of you values politeness (restraint, good manners) more? How do you feel when your partner does not show proper politeness or restraint? Are you more polite or outspoken? Are you very interested in what others say about you? Would you rather swallow a grudge than put a good relationship on the line? Which of your parents valued good behavior more?
Synonyms and disorders: behave with dignity; know what you are supposed to do; maintain manners and good manners; good boy.
Hypocrisy, ritualized politeness; inability to refuse; selfishness; uncertainty; fear; inability to resist.
Features of behavior: Politeness often shapes the possibility of contact. Instead of “come on, give it here quickly!” It’s better to say “Please, please...”. What would you say if your partner treated you the way you treated him? In relation to which areas (frugality, fidelity, sexuality, neatness) and with whom are you especially polite? How are you rewarded for your politeness?
Questionnaire for rheumatoid arthritis and collagenosis
1. Do you feel “bent by life”? Do you consider yourself more of a “diehard person” or do you think you have a “broken back”? What other proverbs and sayings do you know?
2. Who told you about your illness and when?
3. Do you know relaxation techniques and do you use them?
4. Do you take your prescribed medications regularly? Do you know how these medications work and what side effects possible?
5. Are you satisfied with your profession? What is the importance of hard work and hard work in your life?
6. Are you worried about your professional future, about pension, dismissal, retraining? What does life mean to you if you can't work anymore?
7. Do you withdraw into yourself, break off social contacts or reduce them?
8. Do you have “points” such as neatness, cleanliness, punctuality, hard work, obedience, thrift, commitment, etc., the manifestation of which immediately “softens” you or “straightens your back”? Do you feel “crucified” or are you trying to “keep your head up” and “keep your head up”?
9. In the last five years, have you experienced separation due to divorce, relocation, or death?
10. What impact does your illness have on your prospects and attitudes towards your own future? Do you hope for your physical recovery?
11. What is the meaning of life for you (stimulus, goal, motivation, life plans, the meaning of illness and death, life after death)?
12. Can you perceive your suffering as a chance to explore hitherto unknown areas?
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ORAL DERMATITIS The disease is manifested by severe inflammation of the skin localized on the face, which mainly affects the area around the mouth, as well as other areas of the face. Characterized by
Redness,
- infiltration or
- swelling of the skin,
- pseudopustules and
- subjective feeling of tension and itching.
The picture of the disease was first described in last decade, and different opinions were expressed about the causes and ways of treating the disease.
The possibility of influence is being discussed
Bacterial and fungal infections,
- allergic reactions or
- use of cosmetics and
- corticosteroids, as well as
- “overtreatment” as causative factors.
Dermatologists have noticed that the disease occurs more often in individuals of a certain type. These are very businesslike, more often unmarried women middle-aged who have problems in relationships with men.
A 40-year-old female patient, a senior justice inspector, dressed normally, with curled blond hair and a face disfigured by blisters and red spots, was referred by a specialist with a diagnosis of perioral dermatitis. At first she seemed distant, later she began to talk about heart palpitations, about self-doubt, which is why she came to the doctor, and then suddenly became very frank.
Painful manifestations on her face appeared 7 months ago, when she met a man 4 years older than her. Doctors allegedly said it spread from his beard to her face. Now an allergy test is being done on the man's beard hair, but she doesn't think that's the issue. In recent months, during treatment with cortisone, a short-term improvement has been noted, but after visiting the sauna there was sharp deterioration: The face became red and burned.
About the significance of this acquaintance in her life, she said that she was unmarried and lived with her parents, “still not torn from the umbilical cord.” 7 months ago I met a man 18 years older than her, who was a friend of her brother and served in the police with him. He seemed trustworthy to her. She was very reserved with men because she had been disappointed many years ago. A policeman, whom she had known a little for a long time, intensively courted her, and 7 months ago she entered into a relationship with him. At the same time, she did not return home to her parents on weekends, she spent the night with him, which made her a little ashamed. She perceived this man as an octopus who wrapped his tentacles around her. Although he emphasized that he had no intention of marrying her, she was not sure. At the same time, she talked about her loneliness.
The patient was born in the Sudetenland. Her father was a soldier, fought at the front and returned home when she was already 6 years old. Her father came into the house as a stranger, she perceived him as suppressive of women, an authoritarian person and a bad father. “I wouldn’t want to have a spouse like that.” The relationship with my mother was better, but it was also cool. As refugees, they lived in different cities in Germany, after primary school the patient studied at a one-year construction school, and then decided to enter the service. She later continued her education to achieve more high position. Now she has difficulties in this regard, “since in justice, as in cinema, a woman needs to go through the bed of her bosses, but she avoids this, and therefore they find fault with her, try to harm her.” The first sexual intercourse was at the age of 26; the patient felt constrained and did not receive any pleasure. She felt superior to her partner; subsequently he abandoned her at the request of his mother, to whom he was very attached. “I didn’t run after him, but I was very upset about it.” Later she had short relationships, but she always had the impression that men only use women. The patient persistently emphasizes that she wants to remain free, she is afraid of falling into lifelong slavery; she suffers from her dependence on her parents and would like to have her own home. She likes the song: “I want to remain free and still have a boyfriend.”
The patient overcame her fears in the examination situation without difficulty and showed openness at the first contact. She felt relieved after the conversation, but then became concerned that her appointment would be too long and intensive treatment, as a result of which she will become dependent on the doctor.
The conflict situation was caused by
Ambivalent rapprochement with a man,
- getting out of a state of loneliness and
- fear of being too closely associated with another person, as well as
- that the basis for these fears was a negative attitude towards the father.
The father was experienced as a strange and feared man, which limited the possibilities of the natural development of relationships with men, while the colorless and insufficiently tender and loving mother did not give her a sense of security. Most likely, this schizoid problem also affected her sexual sphere.
Subsequently, the manifestations of dermatitis disappeared quite quickly under the influence of white lotion and conflict-focused psychotherapeutic conversations.
Data on the course of the disease and the impact of medical somatic and psychotherapeutic measures on it are not enough to talk about the prognosis and indications for psychotherapy. However, undoubtedly, one should move from a local perception of the disease to an understanding of the entire situation as a whole. As with a number of other skin diseases, in the presence of conflicts in the sphere of contacts and schizoid personality disorders, it is advisable not to bind the patient too closely in the therapeutic contact.
OTHER SKIN DISEASES The presence of psychosomatic connections is also discussed in other skin diseases, such as
Angioedema,
- itchy skin,
- lichen planus,
- pruritus,
- excoriated (urticarial) acne, as well as
- pityriasis rosea,
- alopecia areata and
- psoriasis, in the origin of which, among others, mental factors also play a role.
Psychosomatic connections with
Common acne
- Raynaud's disease and
- scleroderma.
With many neurotic disorders, skin vegetative reactions occur, such as
Erythema,
- hyperhidrosis (primarily sweating of the hands), etc.
- Pruritus, or skin itching (especially anal and genital itching), which does not have a morphological basis, can be caused purely mentally or, in any case, with the participation of mental factors.
As always with a psychosomatic approach, an individual diagnosis is necessary, taking into account the situation, causing disease, and personal background for these very different disorders.
RHEUMATIC DISEASES Under the general concept “rheumatic diseases” are united different shapes diseases of various etiologies. These include diseases such as
Acute inflammatory rheumatic fever,
- rheumatoid arthritis,
- ankylosing spondylitis (ankylosing spondylitis),
- psoriasis and other reactive and other spondyloarthritis and arthropathy up to fibromyalgia, i.e. so-called soft tissue rheumatism.
This scale of very heterogeneous diseases of the joints and spine primarily shows that diseases are united by a general concept
Inflammatory,
- degenerative and
- of a systemic nature, although in particular they have little in common.
Nevertheless, their importance in medicine and healthcare is very great. Epidemiological data show that these diseases affect 5–33% of the population, and such a wide range of rates indicates diagnostic uncertainty.
In this section we will focus only on fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis, which are the focus of most psychosomatic research.
Rheumatic diseases include diseases that occur with pain and limitations in the movements of muscles and joints. These may include various rheumatic diseases affecting the joints, occurring in both inflammatory and degenerative forms, as well as non-articular forms of rheumatism, primarily soft tissue rheumatism.
Psychosomatic influences are found more often in inflammatory diseases, primarily in rheumatoid arthritis, also called chronic polyarthritis, and less often in
Ankylosing spondylitis (Bechterew's disease),
- arthrosis,
- spondyloarthrosis and
- ligament damage.
In non-articular forms of rheumatism, and especially in soft tissue rheumatism, or functional muscular rheumatism, psychosomatic connections are often identified.
At various violations the influence of mental and somatic factors is different. Therefore, individual psychological diagnostics, since somatic causes have little evidence, and somatic symptoms are often of controversial importance.
With deforming spondylitis, pronounced radiological changes in the vertebrae are detected as random findings, without the presence of subjective sensations in this area; at the same time, the strongest pain sensations can be observed without any changes or with their minimal manifestation.
In light of the psychosomatic connections discussed here, this discrepancy between anatomical data and clinical symptoms can be explained by the psychological “permeation” of the entire internal life situation in order to be able to determine the significance somatic symptoms in the inner history of life.
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
(chronic polyarthritis, chronic inflammatory articular rheumatism) Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic progressive systemic disease that clinically manifests itself in the synovial membranes of joints and periarticular tissue and in which characteristic but nonspecific changes are found in the joints. In 80% of cases, immune bodies (rheumatoid factor) characteristic of rheumatic disease are determined serologically.
Symptoms. The onset of the disease is slow, with morning stiffness and soreness of some joints and muscles. Joints are usually affected symmetrically, and swelling and pressure sensitivity are most commonly observed in the joints
Fingers of the hands,
- hands,
- knees,
- joints of the feet.
Joint and muscle pain is more pronounced after a period of rest and is relieved after the patient moves for some time. It is noteworthy that the patients themselves usually do not seriously evaluate their sensations and limitations; for a long time their activity remains active, despite the restriction of movements.
Epidemiology. The incidence of rheumatoid arthritis in the population, according to studies conducted in different countries, ranges from 0.3 to 3%. Their prevalence increases with age; middle-aged and elderly people are more likely to get sick. Women predominate; The sex ratio ranges from 1.2:1 among the Haida Indians to 7.8:1 among the Pittsburgh population (average 3:1).
Rheumatoid arthritis is common among representatives of all races and in all countries, but it is somewhat less common among the Japanese and Eskimos, and somewhat more often among blacks in the United States. The disease strikes urban population more than rural. People when changing social status Those above or below the average suffer from rheumatoid arthritis more often, but representatives of lower social strata still suffer somewhat more often.
Psychophysiology. Psychophysiological experimental studies concern the influence of emotional factors on motor skills. Experimental studies have shown that in chronic articular rheumatism, there is increased muscle tone during irritation and aggravating situations compared to indicators in the control group. It is obvious that a patient with articular rheumatism transfers his conflicts mainly to muscle reactions.
Patients with rheumatoid arthritis exhibit various mental irritants, which is determined by
During an interview about the conflict,
- during psychoanalytic sessions or
- when using psychological tests.
At the same time, electrical action potentials of diseased or healthy muscles are recorded. On the myogram you can see that the strength of action potentials is mainly proportional to muscle tension. It has been shown that aggressive feelings and conflicts in patients with rheumatoid arthritis lead to increased electromyographic activity, which is determined most of all in the affected area and in the muscles around the affected joints. Muscle tension persists longer than the duration of the stimulus.
Research results confirm psychosomatic hypotheses. But they should also be assessed critically, since increased muscle tension in the area of the diseased joint can be considered a consequence of joint disease.
The existence of a vicious circle cannot be denied: pain syndrome, caused by excitation of receptors in the joint, in its surroundings or in the periarticular muscles, leads to a reflex ischemic painful state of tension. Emotionally increased muscle tone of skeletal or trunk muscles causes increased sensorimotor excitability. This is the somatopsychosomatic specificity of the reaction in the form of a vicious circle.
In this case, it is always possible that damage to the joint, microtrauma and auto-aggressive, i.e. immune, the response can have an enhancing effect (primarily or secondary) on a situationally and psychologically determined increase in muscle tone.
The results of immunological studies in chronic polyarthritis testify in favor of the psychosomatic aspect. Infiltration synovial tissue with local formation of immunoglobulins and rheumatoid factors and the presence of the latter in the synovial fluid indicate a disorder of the immune system. For psychosomatic interpretation it is important that the central nervous influences, and in animal experiments, hypothalamic stimulation can alter rheumatoid factors and centrally suppress humoral and cellular immune responses. Consequently, in addition to psychosomatic ones, there are processes that affect muscle activity through the central nervous system, affecting the immune defense.
Situations that cause the development of the disease. Researchers note that emotionally stressful events have an impact on chronic articular rheumatism. Thus, restrictions on physical activity due to external influences are often found
Accidents,
- surgical interventions,
- states of exhaustion,
- intercurrent infections.
Mental stress primarily includes
Crisis in interpersonal relationships,
- death and loss of loved ones,
- problems of personal authority and
- marriage.
In general, every possible mental influence can contribute to the development of rheumatoid arthritis. As for the question of the meaning of burden for an individual patient in his current life situation and with what internal conflict situation it coincides, two main types of this meaning are usually described:
An external cause mobilizes previously suppressed aggression;
- external or internal cause breaks through previously overcompensated forms of defense.
Psychodynamics. English authors describe a relatively unified psychodynamic constellation, which is best manifested in women. In Erikson's (1961) understanding, the phase of acquiring autonomy through motor activity or gaining initiative is not achieved without feelings of guilt. At the same time, aggressiveness arises early, expressed and realized by muscular activity, and thus the frustrations of childhood life, especially the conflicts of the Oedipal phase, are compensated.
The tendency of rheumatic patients to express repressed aggressive aspirations through skeletal muscles also appears in the dreams of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Like patients with essential hypertension, patients with rheumatoid arthritis experience great difficulty in suppressing their hostile-aggressive impulses. However, the attempt to resolve these impulses proceeds differently for them and is a combination of self-control and “charitable” tyranny over others.
Mothers suffering from rheumatoid arthritis tend to strictly control almost all motor manifestations in their children. Many of them experienced similar maternal influences in childhood, having similarly domineering mothers (see below).
Psychosomatics of chronic polyarthritis. If in the 50s and 60s of the 20th century they still described a specific personality structure - the “rheumatic personality” - and tried to identify the specificity of conflicts, today it is not so much genetic that comes to the fore as system-theoretical connections and the already described somatopsychosomatic vicious circle. There are increasing self-restrictions in life relationships, in one’s own “I”, in one’s own body and in the communicative sphere, including in social behavior.
The role of primary children's motor skills was emphasized, the inhibition of which is currently considered no more than protective. Probably this primary activity was given too much great importance. The above can also be applied to aggressive motor impulses, which, starting from early childhood, are described as a problem area. It is also impossible to ignore what is caused by the disease
Personality development with its pronounced chronicity and slow progression,
- threatening disability and deteriorating mutual understanding, as well as
- the resulting isolation and limitation of interests to a narrow area of everyday life needs.
Regarding the social status, observations show that out of 307 patients with chronic polyarthritis after 9 years, 50% were fully functional; other researchers cite an even higher figure - up to 75%.
Personality structure. In general, we can talk about the absence or unsuccessful balancing of the poles of softness and hardness. Typically, the tendency toward softness is suppressed by increased motor tension, muscle actions, and in women by “male protest.” Through tension and sacrifice, one acquires the right to mix the desire for dominance and masochistic self-sacrifice. A preference for outdoor activities and strength sports, and a tendency to suppress the spontaneous expression of feelings and to restrain them were noted. This characteristic applies primarily to women, who in psychosomatic observations on the study of rheumatism most often reveal contrasting or contradictory indicators.
All patients with rheumatoid arthritis exhibit three character traits with sufficient consistency:
A. Persistent manifestations of hyper-conscientiousness, commitment and external compliance, combined with a tendency to suppress all aggressive and hostile impulses, such as anger or rage.
B. Masochistic-depressive manifestations with a strong need for self-sacrifice and an excessive desire to provide help, combined with hypermoral behavior and a tendency to depressive mood disorders.
B. A pronounced need for physical activity before the development of the disease (professional sports, intensive housework, gardening, etc.).
These three character traits appear in rheumatoid arthritis as frozen and exaggerated; they are inflexible and not adapted to the demands of the environment. From a psychodynamic point of view, this is a characterological-neurotic processing of the conflict in the sphere of aggressiveness and ambition.
The above-mentioned character traits are, moreover, overcompensatory defenses against the underlying conflict. Hyperconscientiousness, refusal to express one's feelings and sacrifice create a protective barrier for the possible breakthrough of aggressive impulses and allow one to get rid of hostile feelings. Obsessive and depressive-masochistic manifestations are regarded as protective structures against destructively experienced tyranny. A kind of tolerance, resignation to fate, liveliness, despite limited mobility and pain are often described, which, according to psychoanalytic views, has a dual interpretation: J. Cremerius (1968) speaks of “evil submission” or “loving tyranny” that emanate from the patient.
Psychological tests confirm many psychodynamic premises and personality data. The Cattell test (a test questionnaire with 200 questions that cover 16 personality factors) reveals pronounced modesty, humility, and compliance as personality traits. Next, signs of a strong “super-ego” are revealed, i.e. patients are conscientious, self-possessed, and responsible. Projective tests reveal few interpretations of motor acts compared to control groups. This fact can be explained as a secondary reaction, i.e. due to existing limited movements.
Personality development under the influence of illness. An unbiased observer is struck by the constant occurrence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. general signs, which include both primary character traits and disease-dependent manifestations.
The peculiar, difficult to explain, unchanging patience of these patients is impressive. Patients with primary chronic polyarthritis are experienced patients with whom there is little trouble, although it is precisely in such patients that one would expect the greatest difficulties. They are modest and undemanding, often to the point of indifference. They are almost never clearly depressed, although fate limits the possibilities of their activities; they almost never grumble, are not obnoxious or sarcastic, and do not fall into despair or anger. Their patience and moderation are in sharp contrast to the catastrophe that is happening in their destiny.
If we compare, as far as is generally possible, the condition of these and other patients suffering from movement disorders or patients with amputated limbs, then the condition of patients with polyarthritis is remarkable. How common are mood disorders in patients with amputations, how aggressive are paralyzed people! With chronic joint diseases this practically does not happen; patients are usually patient, compliant, accessible, unpretentious, and modest. In general, they tend to remain inconspicuous. N. Plbgge (1953) observed these behavioral features in 36 of 38 fully examined patients with primary chronic polyarthritis for 6 years.
Before the illness, these were quiet, inconspicuous people, mostly active, active and tireless, who took on everything and worked hard. No work is a burden for them; they unite the family and resolutely overcome all obstacles they encounter. Particularly striking is their altruistic behavior, which, combined with their energy and activity, makes them excellent mothers or tireless educators.
Balance, modesty and undemandingness, according to N. Plugge, are the result of the fact that these patients do not fully appreciate all the symptoms of the disease and the severity of its consequences. Patients perceive their deformed hands not so much as a diseased part of the body, but as an annoying nuisance. You can see with surprise what actions they perform with these hands. Contrary to expectations, sore hands are not excluded from the body scheme for them; they do not spare them, do not isolate them, but perceive them as organs, although reduced and “inhibited,” but quite suitable for use, and use them accordingly.
Their world of self-perception shows a certain limitation due to the reduction of their consciousness on their bodily sphere. The patient is then unpretentious, modest and patient when he “reducedly” perceives himself, his illness and the painful state of his body parts. Modesty is a kind of escape from the truth.
N. Pltigge compared this phenomenological aspect with premorbid personality. Like most other researchers, he found that most of patients with primary chronic polyarthritis were especially active and active before the disease. Their tirelessness in caring for loved ones is noteworthy. These are people who help in need and can play the role of a helper for years without any pretense and free of charge, without pretense of gratitude. This is the selflessness of service and tirelessness, and subsequently (after illness) the selflessness of undemandingness and modesty. Both qualities - pseudo-altruistic asceticism and patient, resigned self-denial - come from the same structural feature (As far as I can see from the description, asceticism is the most altruistic, without any “pseudo” - H.B.) . What the premorbid and the disease have in common is the process of self-concealment, a reduction in self-perception, that dominates throughout the life of a patient with polyarthritis.
Today, these limitations in the ability to perceive one's own feelings and use them as signals in the broad sense of the word are also described in alexithymia. Many, if not all, patients with chronic polyarthritis exhibit these signs.
There are indications that the general diagnosis of “chronic polyarthritis” hides heterogeneous, including psychosomatically different forms (This applies to all diseases - H.B.) . Thus, Vollhardt et al. (1982) among 68 outpatients with arthritis, using psychometric tests, identified 3 subgroups that differed primarily in the processing of the dynamics of aggression.
The subgroup with seropositive rheumatoid factors was psychopathologically characterized as completely “normal” and homogeneous, while the seronegative and mixed subgroups (with non-rheumatoid arthritis) showed pronounced features (subgroups were compared by
Age,
- semi,
- social status of patients,
- duration of illness and
- somatic disorders).
Observations have shown that psychometrically determined features in chronic rheumatism cannot be assessed only as secondary, arising as a result of the disease. At the same time, the question must remain open as to how correctly the psychometric “normality” of the seropositive subgroup is determined, whether this is a true state of affairs or whether it hides, as the above authors suggest, protection and the desire to reject emotionally charged aggressive tendencies (for example, in the sense of alexithymia) .
The effectiveness of psychotherapeutic measures for rheumatoid arthritis has been little studied. The first reports seem encouraging.
FIBROMYALGIA The many forms of fibromyalgia, including fibrositis syndrome, soft tissue rheumatism, or functional muscular rheumatism, are described under different names:
- “myalgia”,
- "lower back pain"
- “lumbago”,
- “hard blades”.
Unlike organic rheumatic diseases, they have variable localization and symptoms, and there are no objective signs of inflammation. The most common localization of symptoms is the lower back and brachio-occipital region.
On biopsy, painful muscle hardening is identified as reactive hypoxia of muscle cells: “Their cause is nervous excitement which is caused by various factors, including mental ones.”
Experiences are clearly expressed in the mental state
Fear and
- depression.
Patients with muscular rheumatism are less prone to overcompensated behavior. Their latent or explicit desires, concerns and tendencies towards dependence are clearly expressed, and the tendency towards self-sacrifice and dependence is clearly defined.
The conflict between
Self-sacrifice and stability (I don’t see any conflict here - H.B.)
,
- sacrifice and selfishness,
- meekness and aggressiveness.
Emotional states, first of all
Fear and
- depression, are repressed less.
Such patients can be compared to boxers before the gong hits, or to runners before a start, when readiness is not realized for a long time. With a tendency to self-sacrifice and dependence, it is often possible to identify the presence of rent-seeking attitudes.
A resolving situation is mostly described as one that causes mobilization of the whole body, especially with aggressive impulses. W. Grace and D. Graham (1952) described the presence of a complex situation in patients with back pain, accompanied by vivid ideas about walking and running.
- “I would most like to run away from home”;
- “I would like to escape from here”;
- “I would like to go away”;
- “I feel like I’m flying away from this island.”
Among the personality characteristics of these patients, there is a tendency to
Secondary benefit
- need for mercy,
- more or less open desire for disability. (What can you expect from people with long-term pain? - H.B.)
There is often a gap between objective data and subjective desires. In any case, the combined influence of neurotic-tendentious motives is much more pronounced than in chronic articular rheumatism. (With rheumatism, there is discomfort from deformed joints, which develops over many years. The pain is not constant. With fibromyalgia, there is severe chronic pain- H.B.)
Psychodynamically, there is an ambivalent conflict between outsider domination and self-domination and, at the same time, helpful and sacrificial behavior. From this ambivalence and chronically inhibited aggressiveness, an increase in muscle tone occurs in typical places, most often in the area of the cervical and lumbar vertebrae.
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The presence in the character of the following qualities: hope, forgiveness, courtesy, goodwill, hard work, gives health to the joints.
Psychosomatics of joints:
Hope – promotes normal innervation of joints.
Despair - causes increased sensitivity and pain in the joints.
Frustration leads to destructive changes in joints.
The ability to forgive gives joints ability to fight inflammatory processes.
Touchiness increases inflammatory processes in the joints.
Anger leads to destructive disorders.
Courtesy normalizes joint metabolism.
Indecision causes decreased joint activity.
Goodwill promotes normalization of immunity in joints.
Criticism leads to decreased immunity in the joints.
A negative attitude causes autoimmune processes and destruction of joint tissue.
Hard work gives strength and stability to the joints.
Idleness reduces joint strength and stability, which leads to their rapid soreness and fatigue.
Passionate work causes excessive increase in joint tension, which exhausts and tires them.
Arthritis is caused by: despair, resentment, assertiveness, criticism, disappointment.
Joints and despair:
When we think: I won’t have time, I won’t finish it, or I’ll work very hard - work does not bring joy, but only gives tension, and despair appears as the last link in this chain - no one understands me. A person should live for happiness, and not for self-torture. Joints contain the force of dynamic tension, and they give us the ability to act. Therefore, when everyday activity brings only suffering, a person becomes immobilized. This is how the body, under the guidance of the mind, expresses its protest against an erroneous position in life. If a person works only out of fear of being left without means of subsistence and suffers from joyless work, he should know that the time will soon come when it will become very difficult for him to move. Despair from joyless work leads to the first signs of joint disease, which is expressed in their pain and hypersensitivity. When despair turns into disappointment, destructive changes in the joints will begin.
The Vedas say that we receive the amount of material resources as a result of those pious deeds that we performed in past lives. Greedy labor does not add piety to a person’s destiny, but on the contrary makes him more and more unhappy. Therefore, we must learn to work with love, stop acting as a slave to our material plans and despair when we see how difficult it is to implement them. The Vedas say that when you live honestly, and this means according to the laws of the sacred scriptures, it becomes easy to understand how to correctly fulfill your duties to society and God. Only in this case, knowledge hidden from all other people is revealed - how you can be happy without overexerting yourself in joyless work and without immersing your mind in material problems. The Vedas assert that if a person unselfishly fulfills his duties to God, then, simply by doing his useful work, he will have everything necessary for life. And if you completely free yourself from selfish desires and fulfill your duty with love for God, then you can gradually become the happiest and most successful of people.
Joints and touchiness/anger
Resentment is anger directed inward. An offended person no longer wants to notice those who treated him poorly. This always happens when there is no real power to punish your offender. On the contrary, if there is a mental opportunity to punish the offender, anger immediately comes out. Anger destroys the liver, adrenal glands, nervous system, and also joints. Usually for women, resentment arises first, and when it goes over the edge, anger appears. In men, most often, on the contrary, anger appears in advance and if personal interests are not satisfied, then resentment arises. Resentment is anger aimed at self-destruction (let it be worse for me to spite them). When a person experiences some kind of suffering, he receives the moral right to blame. It is for this opportunity to blame someone that we take offense. Resentment makes you stop acting. Anger has a more destructive effect on the joints, causing destruction in them.
Joints and activity
Forced inactivity also affects the joints, which derive their strength from the satisfaction of movement. The joints of the legs are nourished by the power of prana - the joyful movement of prana makes them healthy. The joints of the hands are more connected with the activity of the mind and they need joyful mental activity.
When a person with a grudge in his heart does something physical work, then he develops inflammatory processes in the joints. This gradually leads to polyarthritis of the joints of the lower extremities. When some mental work is done with resentment, the joints of the hands suffer. A trivial case of working in a state of resentment is working after yet another reprimand. Often a resentful state occurs when wages are not given for a long time. If we realize that all losses occur because we tried to acquire something in a fraudulent way in the past, then all resentments immediately leave the mind. Exactly how much we took in excess, we will lose. The person who is the cause of our suffering is just a puppet in the hands of fate. However, if he really acted unfairly, then fate will do the same to him. Therefore, in any case, a person who understands the law of karma and tries to understand everything in accordance with the Vedas will not be offended by those who, due to weakness of character, cause him trouble. Sometimes punishment comes from decent people. If it is your duty to punish a person who has acted badly, this must be done without hatred or resentment, but out of a sense of duty. For example, sometimes in class students make jokes about their teachers. It is the teacher's duty to punish his students. If you do this in a state of resentment, then, firstly, this punishment will not change the situation for the better, and secondly, such activity is not favorable and can lead to joint disease.
Joints and assertiveness
This quality is a consequence of a combination of greed - a strong aspiration of feelings towards some material object and pride. A proud and greedy person acts assertively, putting his own interests above the interests of the people around him. Such activity always leads to degradation of consciousness, so a group of diseases arises that gradually deprive him of the opportunity to work actively. Among such diseases are all kinds of metabolic disorders in the joints and the accumulation of salts in them.
Joints and disappointment
Without a true goal in life, directing his mind to temporary benefits, a person actively works and waits for when he will be happy, but happiness does not come. Happiness is a power that has a spiritual nature. The spiritual cannot be found in the material. Let's say you can sincerely respect a good person. But if someone has the idea that having a lot of money can achieve sincere, disinterested respect, then this is simply absurd. How can you sell your sincerity and respect for money. A person, having a lot of money, becomes respected by all those who need his money, position, power. However, this type of respect does not bring real happiness, but only its shadow. On the contrary, any beggar who has the ability to honestly and selflessly fulfill his duties to God and the people around him is naturally deeply respected by everyone. Thus, understanding the spiritual nature of happiness, he becomes happy for free. When we achieve greater and greater material success and become more and more immersed in an atmosphere of artificial, formal happiness, the result of such a life is always disappointment. Frustration leads to a lack of incentives for activity and, ultimately, to the degradation of organs that support the active ability to work, including joints. So the joints begin to undergo rapid destruction, which ultimately leads to complete immobility of the person.
Joints and criticism
The tendency to criticize arises from hatred or envy. Both of these problems are a product of pride - the desire to put oneself above other people. Criticism itself acts directly on the mind and is one of its most serious diseases. Criticism completely destroys any possibility of spiritual progress. Having a spiritual nature and deprived of spiritual activity, a person gradually plunges into a state of despair and resentment, which also has a bad effect on the joints. It is especially dangerous to criticize people who selflessly serve God and spiritual progress. Among them, a special position is occupied by those who have achieved perfection along this path. We have already listed the qualities of such a person above. Even the slightest criticism of such a holy person destroys any possibility of moving forward on the path to happiness. Only by sincerely asking the saint for forgiveness can we cure ourselves of further degradation of the mind. A critical person is unable to have real friends. In addition, his immunity is greatly reduced, which leads to frequent infectious diseases many organs, including joints. Whatever he does, gradually all activity is surrounded by an atmosphere of hatred and as a result of such an attitude, resentment towards fate and despair sets in. Any activity in a state of despair again leads to joint disease.
According to R.G. Hamer (“New German Medicine”), problems with joints (arthritis, arthrosis) are a mild conflict of self-depreciation associated with the localization of damaged cartilage.
1) The main experience that will lead to arthritis: “Something won’t work out for me/someone close to me. I'm afraid I won't cope."
A person may or may not be aware of such thoughts. But if he worries whether he can cope, the cartilage tissue begins to be damaged.
If you are worried about joint pain, ask yourself: how often do you doubt your abilities?
For example, a woman is organizing her daughter’s wedding. For a month, she is very worried about whether everything will work out as it should. At this time, processes take place in the body that will cause future illness. The morning after the wedding (when everything is over), the woman begins to develop arthritis in her finger joints.
(Experiences are biologized, loaded into the body not chaotically, but still according to biological logic. From the point of view of biology, with our hands we perform various actions. Hands are a part of the body that is associated with controlling something. Therefore, the experience associated with managing and organizing a wedding is somatized in the hands).
2) Cartilage connects bones, so the conflict will be about connection with other people.
For example, a mother is worried that her children (not her) will not succeed.
The child goes to university, the mother worries whether he will cope, she “keeps her fingers crossed for him.” After the baby is admitted, she develops arthritis in her fingers.
3) Arthritis also often contains the theme of struggle, fighting for something, refusing to accept a situation.
For example: a person is fighting to get someone fired for negligence. Doctor, teacher, official.
If his struggle is successful, then arthritis may begin in some part of the body where the problem was located.
For example, if a person felt that either he would break the system, or it would break him, that is, no less than a duel was taking place between him and the system, then if successful, the person’s knees might hurt.
4) Rheumatic attack is a reluctance to let go of a loved one: “I don’t want the people I love (father, mother, etc.) to leave home” , “I want to make sure the people I love stay home.” .
Typically, such thoughts occur as a result of conflicts with loved ones or in the event of a potential separation, in which the person feels very insecure.
If the disease has become chronic, it is necessary to transform the basic experience that is the cause of the disease. That is, if the illness is associated with self-devaluation, then it is necessary, roughly speaking, to begin to feel differently. Many psychotherapeutic methods cope with this task.
The physical health of the human body is directly related to the psychological state. The science that studies such connections is called psychosomatics. Scientists have long proven the relationship between a disease arising from a mental disorder and a person’s internal state. Arthrosis and arthritis are the most common joint diseases that can develop in both older people and young children. What is psychosomatic arthritis and how are these concepts related?
Arthritis and its features
A fairly common inflammatory disease of all joints of the body, it can affect them simultaneously or only one, for example. When pressing directly on the disturbing area, a person experiences pain that does not go away even during rest. At the site of inflammation, swelling appears on the skin and a slight local increase in body temperature.
What can be said about the mental and emotional threshold of such patients? They often hide their emotions and feelings very well, are withdrawn and rarely ask for help.
A person with arthritis has the following qualities:
- He is very cruel to himself, but in the family he tries to be gentle and quietly subjugate those close to him to his will. Thus, he simply drives himself into a frenzy in order to achieve the fulfillment of his goals and desires.
- Women imitate male behavior and become tough and strong. Such people lose the line between “good” and “bad.”
- Before making a decision, they weigh everything; spontaneity has no place in their life.
- In childhood (perhaps due to the tyranny of their parents), such people were deeply immersed in their emotions and hid their emotions. Therefore, even as an adult, I never learned to express and show my feelings.
Many mental problems that appear in adults are the fault of parents. An incorrect approach to education leaves an indelible mark on a person’s entire subsequent life. Containing any emotions leads to their accumulation and ultimately to the development of this disease.
When diagnosing arthritis, it is almost certain that the patient is experiencing an internal conflict with his ego.
The disease occurs in people who cannot clearly say what they want. They are unable to relax, but can only burden themselves and create many problems.
Doctors say that if there are problems with the joints, a person experiences doubts and fear regarding his failures. If you are unable to convince yourself otherwise on your own, seek help from a psychologist; medications are unlikely to help in this case.
Psychosomatics of the disease
Unfortunately, arthritis is a serious matter; all human joints are affected by the disease. Let's look at them separately and figure out what mental problems exist in this or that part of the body.
Psychosomatic reasons may be:
- . Its psychological causes: a person takes on too much. There is an unbearable load or burden, a feeling of burden, anger at oneself. To get out of this state, you need to understand that the strength is you, you need to believe in yourself, appreciate and, most importantly, approve.
- Psychologist Louise Hay believes that a person, experiencing emotions of condemnation towards himself, a desire to be punished, sacrifice, guilt or other negative manifestations of feelings towards himself, provokes the development of this disease. This problem can be solved; to do this, you should repeat and deeply believe in the words of self-love. It is important to understand that love passes through you and fills you completely.
- Psychosomatics of arthritis - speaks of a lack of love both for oneself and for people in general. The feeling of “lack of love”, intimacy and self-resentment prevails. It is important to heal by recognizing that you are the source of boundless love. You need to treat other people around you with love and bring peace.
- Rheumatoid arthritis according to Liz Burbo. The psychologist claims that a person suffering from this disease is very unhappy in his emotions, he is secretive and very strict towards himself. It is difficult for him to express his emotions, desires, and even during difficulties or troubles, turn to other people for help. Such a person believes that those around him know about his needs and should independently offer help in this or that problem. But if expectations are not met, a person withdraws into himself, accumulating resentment, anger and even revenge.
Arthrosis and its features
Chronic illness joints, but has some differences from arthritis. It's all about the inflammatory process, which is absent in this case. The joints are bothered by unpleasant pain in the morning; it takes time for them to “warm up” and begin to function normally. The structure of the joint itself changes, it becomes deformed, but this process proceeds very slowly and drags on for a long time.
In terms of mental state, these diseases are very similar, but with arthrosis a person experiences negative emotions towards others, and not towards himself. The main reason is the lack of pleasant and kind feelings towards the people nearby.
Such a person is very vulnerable and writes off all life’s mistakes as failures. He shifts responsibility for his actions onto the shoulders of other people, while he himself complains about those around him.
The main reasons for the development lie in frequent nervous tension, depression and frequent stressful situations. When there is a deficiency of joint fluid, the cartilage begins to wear away, and arthrosis occurs.
A person who is sick with arthrosis is often very sweet and kind to others, but in the middle he is seething with indignation and negative emotions. A person simply cannot cope with an excess of emotional sensations and cannot throw them out in a timely manner.
The patient has the following qualities:
- What a person holds back in himself leads to the release of stress hormones into the blood. They are the ones who reduce the production of hyaluronic acid in the joints.
- With an unstable nervous system, the muscles are in constant tone. This condition is very harmful to the diseased joint. In this case, pinched joints begin to change their shape and, therefore, function incorrectly.
- The disease is also found in emotionally tired people, where any feelings simply do not appear.
It is very important to pay attention to your mental and emotional state. If necessary, do not be afraid to seek help from a specialist. It is the doctor who will help you deal with current problems.
Psychosomatic component
Psychology is one of the popular branches of our time; it is what “straightens” the brains of sick people and leads to the restoration of a normal state. The World Health Organization claims that almost every person who has arthrosis as a disease or “state of mind” will eventually be registered with a somatic doctor.
Psychosomatic arthrosis directly depends on the human psyche; here are the most important diagnostic reasons:
- Trauma to the mental state.
- Systematic stress, nervous system disorders.
- Suppression or suppression of negative emotions such as anger, anger, resentment.
- Difficult stressful situations.
It happens that people are unable to get out of constant mental tension; they become isolated and think only about their experiences. If a normal person with a healthy psyche tries to get out of an unpleasant situation, avoid it or forget it faster, then a sick person will constantly torment himself.
Of course, these torments do not disappear anywhere; on the contrary, they accumulate inside, over time manifesting themselves in the form of diseases, in our case this is. However, medical research claims that not every manifestation of the disease indicates problems with a person’s mental state.
It is important to know the symptoms of a psychosomatic disorder:
- Long-term therapeutic treatment does not bring the desired relief.
- The state of health and general well-being does not change for the better, and if a person has gone through severe stress or encountered problems, the manifestations of the disease become more pronounced.
How to help yourself?
It is important to understand that if you have arthrosis, then you should think about what you are doing wrong and what you feel most often at such moments. Ask for help, be more welcoming and open. If you often infringe on yourself in some way, considering your desires to be a manifestation of selfishness, think carefully about whether this is really so. Refuse whenever you don’t like an activity, don’t be afraid to be a traitor in the eyes of others or yourself. And if you take on something, be cheerful and do the work with joy.
The psychological causes of arthritis and arthrosis lie deep in our experiences, in our head and our subconscious. It is very difficult to identify this or that problem on your own. But even if you find a problem in yourself, getting rid of it is not always easy. In such cases, only specialists can help you: psychologists, psychotherapists, everyone who works in this field.
Give yourself more freedom, love and appreciate yourself. Remember, you are an individual and there is no one else like you! Internal criticism is very tiring and frightening, living with it is difficult and not a joy, so annoy yourself less and enjoy the simple little things in life more.
Satisfying your desires is not a terrible sin for which you should punish yourself. On the contrary, this is the meaning of our lives, we are all unique and special. Our aspirations are different from the aspirations of others; we cannot always be understood, but we can always try to understand those around us. Our weakness is our strength!
