THE TREATMENT OF PSYCHOSOMATIC ILLNESSES AND MENTAL DISORDERS – THE INTERACTION OF MIND AND BODY

Psychological problems and disturbances lead to reactions in the physical body as well. Knowing of this interaction, it is necessary to treat the body, the physical problem, in order to relieve the psychological disorder. The reverse is also true, in that physical afflictions leave their mark on the mind of the patient to such an extent that his mental balance may be upset. Every psychotherapist will confirm that mental conditions can be responsible for physical ailments, and that organic problems can affect the mind so severely that the patient becomes mentally unbalanced. For example, a malfunction of the ovaries or the male sex glands frequently gives rise to mental disturbance, which will disappear when the physical disorder has been corrected.

Generally speaking, the field of psychosomatic medicine is still mysterious and little explored, so that it is impossible to establish doctrines and principles that are valid in every case. Nevertheless, experience and observation have clearly shown that one-sided treatment is insufficient and often fails to achieve good results, whereas the treatment of the patient as a whole, a unit, is more likely to succeed.

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