August 12, 2022

By now, you are probably getting the sense that healing is an interconnected process. Just like we observe how physical health challenges can cause emotional distress and ultimately even mental health concerns, the relationship is bidirectional. The emotions we experience can take on a physical component. In other words, we really do feel our feelings! This blog will introduce the phenomenon known as somatization. Key questions addressed include: What is it? Why does it happen? Why is holistic medicine crucial for treating it?
What is somatization?
Somatization itself is a process. It occurs when psychological symptoms and experiences take on a physical response in our bodies. Suppose you think about the categorizations used in psychological assessments. In that case, many include a range of physical symptoms: someone suffering from anxiety may experience nausea, a person struggling with grief may experience inexplicable fatigue, etc. While somatization can be related to a disorder in and of itself, it is usually temporary and situational. This emphasizes the connection between emotional and physical. When our emotional needs are met or our psychological challenges are addressed, the physical feelings can lift.
Why does this process occur?
A range of theories attributes different factors to the occurrence of somatization. Because of the connection between dysregulation of the nervous system and emotional/psychological stress (such as anxiety), some clinicians and scientists look to hyper-sensitivity to biological sensations and environmental causes. While this is one explanation, some theories point to trauma and its relationship to hormone disruption. A more evolutionary-psychological answer considers somatization as a defence mechanism meant to draw our attention to our emotions through, often powerful, physical symptoms.
Why is holistic medicine crucial for treating it?
Given the range of potential causes and the variation of experiences of somatization (duration of experience, degree of disruption to daily life, etc.), holistic medicine is well suited to helping people who experience somatization. Not only can holistic medicine be helpful in treatment, but it can also be comforting--coming from a place of understanding rather than a motivation to label and diagnose.
I frequently joke that you will come to me with a sore knee, and I’ll tell you to eat more kale (not precisely, but you get the point), but this is a strength in this situation. Because holistic health sees the body as a collection of interconnected systems and emphasizes treatment that recognizes each of these systems independently and the ripple effects they can have across the body, all of the causes and experiences of somatization can be honoured. For example, holistic medicine has long recognized that hormonal disruptions can be “hidden causes” of so many other “unexplainable” (at least according to western medicine). It is not that these conditions (such as PCOS, gut and digestive diseases, etc.) are inexplicable; when the body is fragmented and partitioned, their causes are obscured or downplayed.
Bottom line: trust your physical experiences. Trust that they can be a helpful tool rather than just another unrelated diagnosis. While they can be painful and distressing experiences, there are helpful hints and, most importantly, strategies in holistic medicine that can alleviate physical and emotional pain. Addressing their relation to one another is the first step.
Reference:
https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/somatization