Psychosomatic stuff

[Portia]

Does anyone have any info or links about headaches caused by emotional work? CB's post about vision on another thread reminded me that a long while back I think i had a temporary loss of clear vision in my left eye entirely due to doing some inner child type work (or attempting to!). I believe that's what caused the blurred vision, which righted itself the next day. (I believe it but I haven't read anything 'scientific' to support it). I've been having headaches and i wondered if it was a similar thing. I intend taking it to the doctor, but if anyone has any info, it might help me understand it - worth asking I thought. If not no worries, I'll hand my head over to the physician - a prospect which is enough to give me a headache thinking about it!

On a good note, how great it is not to grind my teeth in my sleep, not to have knotted shoulders all the time and not to have those emotional stomach aches i used to get. All gone. Amazing.

[Portia]

Hi Ami
I got stomach aches as a child, don't know exactly for how long and when but I do know it was emotional upset. Nobody took them seriously (nobody took me seriously). However, I learned to supress them and I don't remember much bothering me through my early teens (other than being a zoned out zombie). I mean, I don't remember much physical pain.

At any emotional upset, and it was usually FEAR of anything - fear of other people's anger for example - my stomach would contract and hurt a lot. Like it still does now if I forget to eat properly. I recognise hunger by that clutching pain that bends you over, not by a general "oh i feel peckish!". I don't let it happen very often!

I haven't had stomach aches in response to emotion (mine or other's) for some time. The last time was when someone related a sad tale to me. I am close to the person in the story, and, as it was being related by a third party, I 'saw' the subject going through what had been a painful, rejecting experience in the same room in which I was sitting. And I got a fierce stomach ache. I guess i was identifying a little too closely with the subject. That was the last time - about 18 months ago maybe. These days I know the difference between my pain and someone else's. I guess I can choose to get a stomach ache or not, if that makes sense.

These headaches are odd because they're in one place in the left-hand back and they feel like a sort of internal muscle twitch and hum with a sort of numbness. Would a physician understand that i wonder? It depends I guess.

Our eyes are amazing things. That's a thought - maybe i need an eye test and not a visit to the doctor. Could well be. That's a good idea. inspired by you Ami, thank you

[mountainspring]

internal muscle twitch and hum with a sort of numbness

Is the twitch like a mild throb?  I wonder if it's a mild migraine? 

[Portia]

Thanks MS - I wonder. I haven't had them before. Been aware of this since about Christmas, it comes and goes, i think maybe with emotional surges. Started as a feeling as though there was a vein in the back that was throbbing with my pulse rate, north to south. It spiked yesterday and seems more general than a specific vein.But yes it throbs. I guess I am appraoching a certain age and migraines can come on with that.

I had a quick search for headaches associated with er, thinking, but the most interesting-looking article wasn't available. I like to thrash stuff with information before I act!

[mountainspring]

I like to thrash stuff with information before I act!

Since Christmas?  5 months is a long time to cope with throbbing headaches, does tylenol help?  ibuprofen?

I'll hand my head over to the physician

This is a good idea..... go to the doc... get some meds ...

then you can information gather headache free!  

[Portia]

Ami, this headache is annoying me right now, so I'm looking up headaches in general and that's annoying it more! However I just had a laugh when i read in Wiki about tension headaches:

Possible remedy
Physical discomfort or pain without apparent reason is the way our body is telling us of an underlying emotional turmoil and anxiety. One way of dealing with such physical manifestations is by shaking the person senseless.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotional_conflict    Oww! Like my Nan used to say "You need putting in a paper bag and shaking up!" Maybe there was some wisdom there?  I wonder if it is tension.

Stomach aches.

Was it slow? Did it come as you got stronger inside and felt that you COULD deal with it IF someone got angry with you.?

I guess so. I'm not great at analysing right at the time I don't think. It takes me a while. Yes, it's knowing you can deal with it. Knowing it's not your fault - someone else's emotion. Becoming the observer as opposed to being enmeshed? Becoming separate. I'm sorry I can't describe the physical part very well, because i don't really take a lot of notice of what my body says. Doing so more these days, but to remember how I felt before.....I remember having a heaving clutching stomach when I expected to get 'told off' (probably for something that didn't deserve a telling off). Also when I felt, as I would have said then, 'sad'. Now i would say it wasn't sadness, it was much more i felt and that went straight to my stomach. I guess my brain (and heart??) was re-routing the pain? Re-routing it to a part that could cope.

Trusting your 'gut' instincts makes a lot of sense to me, now.

Placating is a problem. Not asking for what you need is a problem. Losing your expectations of the outcome is a problem. Why are you not thinking right? My stepfather lurks over me and he's dead. And even though he's become a small, frightened man in my upfront vision, another version of him is still in my head somewhere. Maybe my headache is trying to remove him!


MS just read your post, mmm 5 months but only very rarely, and not painful throbbing, more annoying dull throbbing. i dont like to take either medication unless I know the cause and it's not painful enough to need it. I do believe that going through things is the way to get rid of them!

[poetprose]

Does anyone have any info or links about headaches caused by emotional work? CB's post about vision on another thread reminded me that a long while back I think i had a temporary loss of clear vision in my left eye entirely due to doing some inner child type work (or attempting to!). I believe that's what caused the blurred vision, which righted itself the next day. (I believe it but I haven't read anything 'scientific' to support it). I've been having headaches and i wondered if it was a similar thing. I intend taking it to the doctor, but if anyone has any info, it might help me understand it - worth asking I thought. If not no worries, I'll hand my head over to the physician - a prospect which is enough to give me a headache thinking about it!

On a good note, how great it is not to grind my teeth in my sleep, not to have knotted shoulders all the time and not to have those emotional stomach aches i used to get. All gone. Amazing.

I had migranes from the age of 14 onward, I was in my late 30's when my father died, Voila! oddly enough the migranes stopped, not my cluster headaches but the migranes just stopped cold turkey, I've often wondered if they were psychosomatic

[mountainspring]

I respect that Portia.     I'm the opposite....  when I'm in pain I want it to stop... NOW!!!    I'm glad they don't bother you too often.

[Sela]

Hiya P:

Sorry to hear you're having crappy old headaches.  Not fun.  What has changed since Christmas?
Why do you think your body is causing the headaches (what makes you think that....what does it feel like)? (if ya wanna say).


Here's an interesting link (not sure if it will help or not but there's lot's on different kinds of headaches/causes/triggers.....even hormonal tidbits):

http://www.healthsquare.com/headaches5.htm

Headaches can be tricky business.  Can be serious stuff or transitory/even situational.  A dull pain may not seem that big a deal but I wouldn't wait too long before seeing a doc simply because it possibly can be a serious thingy.  The eye exam is a good idea and trying to piece together.....emotions/events that precipitate the headaches will be helpful too......especially to help rule in/out psychosomatic causes.  I'm glad you intend to visit the doc.  It's probably a good idea to rule out some other less obvious possibilities.

These headaches are odd because they're in one place in the left-hand back and they feel like a sort of internal muscle twitch and hum with a sort of numbness. Would a physician understand that i wonder? It depends I guess.

I bet the doc will have an idea on this or send you on for further investigation if not. 


Glad you're not grinding teeth/suffering those muscle knots or tummy aches any more.  Take care of you P.

Sela

[teartracks]

Hi Portia,

Some meds cause teeth grinding in some patients.  Zoloft for example. 
Also, are you checking your blood pressure regularly?

You can have migraines with or without pain.  My experience with painless ones is that they start with blurred vision, followed by a funky, not quite right feeling, varying duration.  The ones with pain start with blurred vision, and other signs.  The ones with pain are pretty easy to identify as migraine.

I think you should see your doctor.  I know...It's not fun!

tt

[Hopalong]

Me too, P.
Please go to the doc.

love
Hops

[Portia]

Thank you all. Such kindness. I will go to the doc. I'm almost convinced it's emotional, but hey, not worth taking the chance with.

Poet, there's nothing like personal experience eh? It's all possible. Glad your migraines stopped.
MS, no worries. if I know why my head is banging, I get those pills down my throat asap!
Sela, thanks for the link. I think I'm at a transition stage and there are things I need to do to move on and maybe, just maybe, there's some inner tension about 3D stuff so that stuff is getting my attention.
TT yes the doc is no fun but I'm overdue an overhaul anyway. Have my list of things to go through and this will be added.
Hops, thank you.
Ami, i picked one very scary thing to do today and i did it. My heart was banging and my hands trembled and my stomach lurched, but I did it anyway and it wasn't 5% as scary as imagined. Facing the fear and remaining yourself, it can be done i think

Thanks again, much love. P

[michael]

portia,
in terms of psychosomatic health issues back in the late 40's and early 50's i think
there was some interesting statiistical research about maternal rejection
and allergies as psychosomatic.  I don't think it mentions anything specifically
about narcisisism though.

There were two m.d.'s dorothy baruch and hyman miller, online i think there
was more stuff by dorothy baruch...
together they had published a book..titled something on the order of
THE PRACTICE OF PSYCHOMATIC MEDICINE AS ILLUSTRATED IN ALLERGIES.
An article that relates to that is online ...
here is a link that i think should get you there..
http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/reprint/10/5/275

the article might not come up right away but it might download in a bit..
if it doesnt click perhaps on left side where it says ..begin manual download...

another url link where there might be more info on psychosomatic medicine and allergies
and maternal rejection by baruch is
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed_AbstractPlus&term=%22BARUCH+DW%22%5BAuthor%5D

[Portia]

Michael, thank you lots. I love a good read to get in to and this is plenty to keep me occupied! Thanks. P