Psychosomatic disorders: how the psyche communicates
Psychosomatic disorders: how the psyche communicates
What lies at the origin of psychosomatic disorders? What are the different types of psychosomatic conditions? Can hypochondria and alexithymia help us understand how psychosomatics work? How can online therapy help you “give words to your emotions” and stop the cycle of somatization?
A psychosomatic disorder occurs when negative emotional states spill over into the body, worsening or even triggering physical illnesses. These disorders are not always easy to detect medically, as their root cause is psychological rather than organic.
What are psychosomatic disorders?
In certain psychological conditions—such as depression, anxiety disorders, or post-traumatic stress disorder—psychosomatic symptoms are more likely to occur. Prolonged activation of the autonomic nervous system in response to negative emotions can cause “somatization,” producing physical symptoms in unrelated parts of the body.
Examples include a student suffering anxiety before an exam who experiences frequent vomiting, or someone under intense emotional stress (such as grief or divorce) who develops tachycardia and palpitations.
Psychosomatic (or somatoform) disorders therefore reflect unresolved psychological distress, revealed through medical testing that rules out organic causes. Stress, worry, fear, depression, and pathological anxiety can all disrupt the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems, demonstrating the tight mind–body connection.
Types of psychosomatic disorders
Psychosomatic conditions may affect various systems:
- Gastrointestinal: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, colitis, gastritis, peptic ulcer, food intolerances.
- Respiratory: bronchial asthma, hyperventilation syndrome.
- Cardiovascular: hypertension, tachycardia, arrhythmias, ischemic heart disease.
- Urogenital: impotence, anorgasmia, menstrual irregularities, premature ejaculation, vaginismus.
- Musculoskeletal: back pain, myalgia, headache, arthritis.
- Dermatological: acne, psoriasis, dermatitis, hives, excessive sweating.
- Pseudo-neurological: paralysis, loss of coordination, difficulty swallowing, temporary blindness or deafness, amnesia.
- Endocrine (HPA axis): maladaptive stress responses with systemic consequences.
These disorders can severely impact social, work, emotional, and family life, reducing overall quality of life.
Hypochondria
Hypochondria is characterized by obsessive anxiety about one’s health, even over minor symptoms. It can become so debilitating that it ruins the individual’s life, creating constant fear of life-threatening illness and leading to endless medical testing. In severe cases, hypochondria overlaps with depression and psychosomatic symptoms.
Alexithymia: at the root of psychosomatic disorders
Alexithymia—literally “no words for emotions”—was described in the 1970s by Nemiah and Sifneos, who observed patients with psychosomatic illnesses struggling to identify or express feelings.
Key features include:
- Difficulty recognizing or describing emotions.
- Limited emotional vocabulary.
- Poor dream activity and imagination.
- Externally focused thinking.
- Rigid, emotionless expression.
- Overadaptation and conformity.
- Superficial or avoidant relationships.
- Impulsive responses to stress (e.g., substance abuse, overeating).
- Frequent physical symptoms in response to emotional distress.
Research links alexithymia to respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and dermatological illnesses, and even cancer. Its suppression of anger, grief, and other emotions contributes to both psychological and physical suffering.
Early trauma may also play a role, with alexithymia serving as a defense mechanism to avoid painful emotions—leading to an inner emptiness and chronic “resomatization” through the body.
How online therapy can help
Emotions are our compass for both self-understanding and well-being. When ignored or repressed, negative emotions can fuel serious psychosomatic issues, creating a dangerous cycle of mental and physical distress.
Online therapy helps patients with psychosomatic disorders by bringing repressed emotions to the surface. It focuses on “emotional literacy”—giving words to feelings—through recognition and expression.
By addressing the original sources of trauma and reconnecting with the emotional self, therapy restores vitality, fosters healing, and improves quality of life across social, professional, and relational domains. Without this inner work, both emotional and physical suffering tend to intensify.
For information, contact Dr. Jessica Zecchini
Email: consulenza@jessicazecchini.it — WhatsApp: +39 370 32 17 351
