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…
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…
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…
‘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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
