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Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn Symptoms in the Body

One way to understand how the brain can create symptoms in the body is through fight, flight, freeze, fawn nervous system reactions. These stress or trauma reactions are real but they are protective in…
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Somatization in those with chronic symptoms

Wanted to touch on somatization again here as it's something that is a focus point of the work I do with people with chronic somatic symptoms. According to this research paper, "more than one-third of…
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Insecure Attachment From Childhood Linked to Somatic Symptoms

What is Somatization? Creating a sense of safety and security within ourselves is important for our brain and nervous system to settle and relax, which helps to reduce somatic symptoms in the body. Research…
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Social pain and physical pain similar in the brain

A study at University of Michigan found that 'physical pain and intense feelings of social rejection “hurt” in the same way'. Social psychologist Ethan Kross states: "We found that powerfully inducing…
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Catastrophizing an indendent risk factor for widespread chronic pain

A recent study this month February 2024 found 'Pain catastrophizing appears to be an independent risk factor for progression to chronic widespread pain among patients with chronic low back pain. These…
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Forgiveness and Health

Forgiveness can be an important piece in the process for chronic symptom recovery. Forgiveness is first about releasing and expressing and offloading our anger and resentment. Holding onto anger creates…
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Research shows most chronic neck & back pain is non-structural or nociplastic pain

A recent 2023 study authored by Dr. Howard Schubiner in the Journal of Pain  assessed 222 chronic low back and neck pain patients in a primary care clinic. A physician was trained to diagnose for structural…
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Stress is a neglected cause of health complaints

The role of mental and emotional stress in medicine has been by and large neglected and un-diagnosed as a primary cause of somatic symptoms and health illness in the body. Most primary health practitioners…
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Not knowing what you’re feeling Emotionally can manifest Physically

There's been more and more research emerging on the role of what's called alexithymia and it's role in health complaints in the body. Alexithymia literally means “lack of words for emotions” or is…
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Anxiety, Worry, & Somatic Symptoms

There is a bi-directional relationship between anxiety, worry, and functional somatic symptoms (FSS). This 2021 study  concluded that: Previous studies have shown that anxiety and FSS are associated…
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Prevalence of chronic back and neck pain- Plus LIVE Q&A Today Dec. 10th!

The worldwide prevalence of back and neck pain is may be higher than you think- It has been found that upwards of 80 percent of all people experience back pain at some point in their lives and almost 25…
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Neuroimaging of the Brain in Somatoform Disorders

I posted a few weeks back the prevalence rates of somatization or what's called somatoform disorders is much higher than most know- upwards of 40% seen in general practice. Somatoform disorders comprise…
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‘This Might Hurt’ Screening Plus Live Q&A Session

I’m excited to offer and to invite you to a limited time free screening of the documentary feature film This Might Hurt! The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with Jim and film producer Kent…
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Stress and its Relationship to Autoimmune Conditions

I get a fair amount of people asking me if stress can cause or contribute to autoimmune conditions. The  short answer is yes. This study completed in 2018 found 'that exposure to a stress-related disorder…
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Somatization is quite common & should not be overlooked

Somatization is defined as the production of medical symptoms with no discernable organic cause. Another way to describe it is the tendency to experience psychological distress in the form of somatic symptoms…
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What A Korean Disorder Can Teach Us About Anger & Somatic Symptoms

Hwabyung is probably not a diagnosis you have ever heard of. In Korea though, it is diagnosable and seen as a valid medical and mental health condition. According to this research paper "the term Hwabyung…
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Attachment Style > Emotional Difficulties > Somatic Symptoms

Wanted to share a 2020 research paper that studied the effect of attachment style in relation to emotional processing skills and subsequently somatic symptoms. Attachment style/theory was put forth by…
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Enter the Facing State-Move out of Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn

One of the things I teach in my 1-1 coaching and group work is shifting ourselves into the facing state, which is not the same as fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. These 4 I just mentioned are trauma or…
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The Frontal Cortex Implicated with Somatic Symptom Disorder

We have more and more research indicating there being changes in the brain with chronic pain. In particular, an area of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex has been implicated with somatic symptom…
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Move from Hope to Want to Will

One of the things I thing is very important from a mind-body perspective to healing is parlaying hope into want and desire for change then moving to will to make it happen. Will is an important mind-body…