The relationship between what we think, or more specifically what we believe to be true, and what our bodies do and how they feel has always been at the heart of the Bloom approach to physical therapy. Fascinating work by Neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan explores this intersection in an article in online science magazine Nautilus (https://nautil.us/the-neurologist-who-diagnoses-psychosomatics-12180/?_sp=f9e75fca-b946-4342-b75d-9e0dd35f1517.1650724133419).
O’Sullivan has made her career exploring those complex cases where physical symptoms arise from seemingly psychological consequences – such as the case of children seeking asylum in Sweden that descend into a comatose state. Known as ‘psychosomatic’ illnesses, we have often come to view such circumstances as ‘made up’ or ‘all in your head’, exploring extreme situations, such as those of the girls, can help us to understand how a person’s body can take such drastic measures without any identifiable ‘physical’ reason.
Mind or body = me?
For many of us raised in the post-enlightenment European traditions (and yes that is a thing), it is natural to consider the mind to be a separate, non-physical thing. Logically though, this is insane, and deeply ironic. To consider the self as having a non-physical aspect, a ‘mind’ that isn’t made of matter and interacting with the body as part of the whole, physical being relies on a belief in non-tangible aspects that simply accepting that our thought and ideas and beliefs are part of our physical body evades. Simply put, why wouldn’t our brain activity interact with the body’s other systems?
Making this leap – that mind is part of our matter – make understanding the relationships between our ideas and our experiences of pain, disease and ability to function on a physical level much much easier. As O’Sullivan puts it, “an illness is a perception of how one feels, and illnesses can be programmed though expectations in our brains”.
Mind over matter?
O’Sullivan isn’t the only scientist working in this area. Others, notably Ester Sternberg in her work on immunoresponse and perception of stress (https://esthersternberg.com/) are starting to create a foundation for using the power of perception and belief and cultural conditioning to support health and healing in those experiencing sickness and disease. So what does this mean for us, as individuals, living with pain, broken bones, cancers, chronic conditions? Should we just ‘think’ ourselves better?
No. No one is suggesting that you can ‘believe’ a broken leg to be unbroken and it will bear weight. Nor does is undermine the valuable contributions of medicine and clinical practice. Understanding how expectations of ill health, of disability and of suffering can interact with the bodies other processes, like circulation, immune response, hormone regulation etc. provide us with greater insight into the underlying causes of complex health pictures and they give us additional tools to promote wellbeing an recovery.
If it hurts, it hurts.
One of the problems with our treatment of ‘psychosomatic’ factors in healthcare to date is a misunderstanding of the relationship between the psycho and the somatic parts of the picture. The Swedish children in O’Sullivan’s study aren’t ‘pretending’ to be asleep, any more than a client with chronic back pain is faking the pain. Both circumstances are very real and very physical situations, but both may be caused or aggravated by information coming to the body from the brain. The brain is the body’s source of information about the world that we live in, predicts probably futures and provides guidance on what best to do when the body is faced with challenges through a process of experiencing emotions and storing memories. That guidance is ‘heard’ by the rest of the body and influences the body’s systems and responses. Lorimer Mosely describes this best in his talk on pain Why Things Hurt.
Effectively, what people like Mosely, O’Sullivan and Sternberg are uncovering is how information from the brain, based on collective and individual memories and experiences, can create physical symptoms. Very very real physical symptoms.
Mind & body = me.
What does this mean for therapy? It means that by understanding the beliefs that are part of the body that is experiencing the symptoms, we can better create a healing, coping or recovery approach for the individuals we see. This is a long way from the way a lot of us were trained. Before this increase understanding of how the mind plays a role in the body’s experiences and behaviour, most clinical approaches were to identify a symptom and treat with a standardised generic method. In a world where bodies are meat and minds are magical, this is logical. A knee is just a knee, a back is just a back and a person who is sleeping should wake up.
Looking at each individual in a holistic way that understands that symptoms that are presenting are the result of things that are happening to the whole person – including their thoughts and beliefs – because we understand that the mind is matter, that the mind does matter, results in better targeted therapy. For physiotherapy this might mean exercise programmes that are easier for the client to complete, whole-body therapy that targets imbalanced biomechanics or adaptations, or even referral to appropriate psychotherapy or other services to unravel fears and expectations about injuries and their consequences.
Always individual, always about you
If you are looking for support or want to learn more about how holistic physical therapy can help you or your work, Bloom would love to hear from you. We can work with you in person or online, or take a look at the information on this blog to find out more about Bloom and our unique approach to rehab, recovery and wellbeing.