Psychosomatic disorders can lead to a long road of doctor’s visits, medical tests, repeatedly explaining your symptoms, and trying to find a clear cause.
It’s important to be aware that, before embarking on mental health counseling, you should be as sure as possible of your psychosomatic diagnosis. This means being thoroughly medically examined and ruling out all possible physical health conditions.
Once you’re ready to begin a therapy treatment plan for your psychosomatic disorder, there are many types of support to choose from. The best one for you will depend on the cause of your psychosomatic symptoms. For example, your symptoms could be the result of lifestyle stress or traumatic experiences in early life, and these typically require different forms of treatment.
If psychosomatic issues are affecting your daily life, a mental health professional can discuss suitable therapy options for your needs with you. This page may also work as a useful guide for understanding psychosomatic disorders and their treatments, as it discusses:
- Psychosomatic disorders and their causes
- Types of therapy for psychosomatic disorders
- What you can expect from psychosomatic therapy
- How to find the right psychosomatic therapy for you
An Overview of Psychosomatic Disorders
A psychosomatic disorder occurs when mental stress causes physical illnesses or makes them worse.
Psychosomatic symptoms stem from stress and can appear in many body systems at once. For example, people commonly see symptoms arise in their hormonal, immune, and central nervous systems. This is because stress hormones like cortisol impact these systems, causing them harm and preventing them from functioning normally.[1]
Experts used to believe that psychosomatic disorders were only caused by stress and psychological factors. However, this view has changed. Now, it’s recognized that diseases can arise from biological, behavioral, and social factors, as well as psychological ones. For instance, someone may be genetically predisposed to heart issues, which could then be worsened by certain lifestyle choices and psychological stress.[2]
When physical symptoms are manifested as psychological distress, it’s known as “somatization.”[3]
Commonly reported psychosomatic symptoms include:
- Chest pain or a racing heartbeat
- Back pain
- Muscle tension and jaw clenching
- Shortness of breath
- Insomnia
- Ezcema
- Abdominal pain
- Weight loss
- Cough
- Nausea, constipation, and digestive issues
- Numbness
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Impotence and sexual issues
It’s important to determine whether someone’s symptoms are psychosomatic or not, as this allows them to get the right treatment for their issues. However, diagnosing and healing from psychosomatic disorders can be daunting because biological causes are often easier to resolve. For instance, taking medication or having an operation can be reasonably straightforward.[3]
In contrast, healing emotional pain and stress can be more convoluted. For instance, healing from trauma often requires processing painful memories, and some people may not know exactly where their stress is coming from.[3]
As we’ll explore next, the causes of psychosomatic disorders can vary greatly from person to person, though stress is often the common factor.
Causes of Psychosomatic Disorders
While we know that psychosomatic symptoms are caused by mental stress impacting the body, there are different theories about how this occurs – both psychological and biological ones.
One idea focuses on suppression. The thought behind this idea is that feelings like anger and jealousy arise when we want to do something but don’t. For example, we may feel hurt by a friend and wish to stand up to them, but decide against it. This conflict between our will and volition means our emotions have nowhere to go. We feel angry but don’t let it out, so our bodies must cope with the emotion in another way.[2]
Another theory revolves around childhood repression, as there is evidence that childhood trauma is connected to chronic pain and digestive issues. This theory proposes that psychosomatic symptoms are caused by early traumatic experiences that disrupt our emotional development.[2]
Some schools of thought say emotional trauma is “stored” in the body, though this isn’t meant literally. However, it does work as a metaphor for what’s really going on. For instance, we know that stress can rewire our nervous systems, and memories can impact our behavior unconsciously. In these ways, stress is “stored” and remembered physically, such as how our bodies produce adrenaline under stress. This can raise blood pressure, which, if it remains high over time, can lead to stomach ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).[2]
Plus, when we’re stressed, our bodies produce inflammatory signals that reach our brain, vagus nerve, and immune cells. From these points, these signals can influence our moods, energy levels, sleep, and pain levels. Chronic stress and adversity in early life are both linked to these signals being kept “switched on,” making people more susceptible to negative physical symptoms.[4]
Types of Stress
It can be difficult to pinpoint the exact source of stress in our lives. Some people may clearly have a high-stress job or a clearly defined traumatic experience from their past. However, not everyone will be so sure of what’s driving their psychosomatic symptoms.
The following are some examples of sources of stress that could trigger psychosomatic issues:[5]
- A high-stress career or lifestyle
- Grief
- Financial hardship
- An unhappy long-term relationship
- Long-term compassion fatigue
- Anxiety disorders, such as generalized or social anxiety
- Long-term depression
- Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse in childhood
- Hidden memories of a traumatic event
As the causes of psychosomatic disorders can vary so much, psychosomatic disorder support can vary too. Having a rough idea of what your source of stress is may help you select a form of therapy that will best support you. If you’re struggling to determine what your source of stress is, a mental health professional could help you pinpoint what’s driving your symptoms. The next section may also help, as it explores the different types of therapy you may come across in your search.
Types of Psychotherapy for Psychosomatic Disorders
There are many types of therapy for psychosomatic illness, each varying in its methodology and focus. The best one for you will depend on where your disorder is stemming from. For instance, it could be a mind-body disconnect, behavioral factors, or traumatic experiences.
The following are some evidence-based approaches for treating different forms of psychosomatic disorders:
1. Somatic Therapy
Somatic therapy can be used to treat a wide range of symptoms, including grief, trauma, sexual dysfunction, anxiety, and depression.[6]
Somatic therapy focuses on the mind-body connection, combining talking therapy with relaxation and mind-body exercises. Practitioners believe we must first increase our somatic awareness (such as of bodily sensations, postures, and gestures) before we can heal. By recognizing what’s happening in our bodies, we can help emotions surface and deal with them in new ways.[6]
2. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
CBT practitioners typically enquire about your life situation, relationships, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors to gain an understanding of your experience. They may also ask you to keep a diary throughout your treatment, which can be used to identify positive and negative patterns of behavior.[7]
In sessions, you’ll work with your CBT therapist to explore unhelpful patterns of thought and behavior that may be contributing to stress and worsening your symptoms. For instance, perfectionist tendencies may lead to physical pain. You may also identify a particular source of stress in your life that can be challenged with CBT techniques and learn to manage it differently.[7]
3. Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy tends to take longer than CBT, with people forming deeper relationships with therapists and reflecting on underlying aspects of their experience. When treating psychosomatic disorders, psychodynamic therapists are usually eager to explore factors such as attachment styles as well as early childhood experiences. This is because these may be traumatic in nature and contribute to physical issues.[8]
Your work in sessions may involve improving your ability to accurately describe your emotional state, which can require building a greater sense of safety with your own self and personhood.[8]
What Does a Psychosomatic Therapist Do?
If you go to a therapist who’s specifically trained to treat people with psychosomatic disorders, you’ll have a different experience than you would if you tried another form of therapy.
Somatic therapy is body-centered, which means it looks at the mind-body connection and combines psychotherapy techniques with physical therapies. As a form of mind-body therapy, it may use relaxation exercises and other techniques that help you connect your mind and body more closely.[6]
For example, yoga and meditation are often used in somatic therapy, as these centuries-old practices are typically considered somatic.[6] Your therapy may also draw on some of the following techniques:[6]
- Somatics: This approach uses body movement to improve mental health and physical symptoms like chronic pain
- Somatic experiencing: This form of somatic therapy aims to bring people out of “freeze” mode by redirecting their energy
- The Hakomi Method: This method is less movement-focused, prioritizing mindfulness and body awareness
- Sensorimotor therapy: This approach draws on the Hakomi method, as well as CBT and neuroscience techniques
You may also most likely learn self-regulation techniques for managing your emotions, which aim to bring you out of “fight or flight” mode.[6]
What to Look for in Psychosomatic Therapy
The first thing to know about psychosomatic therapy is that any therapist will have done their foundational training in another approach. For instance, psychodynamic or humanistic counseling. Therefore, any psychosomatic disorder treatment qualifications will be an add-on to their main training.[6]
However, a humanistic psychosomatic therapist may have a different approach from a psychodynamic psychosomatic therapist. Therefore, you may wish to research these main modalities first to see which one you’d prefer.
Next, check that the therapist is comfortable, specialized, and open to working with your specific issue. For example, you may wish to find someone who can provide stress management therapy or trauma-informed counseling.
Yet there’s only so much research you can do before beginning therapy. So go in with an open mind – you’re always free to decide to work with a different therapist if your sessions aren’t feeling quite right.
Mission Connection: Get Support for Psychosomatic Disorders Today
For therapy to be effective, it must meet your unique needs and goals. Having a psychosomatic disorder makes this all the more necessary, with people often having unaddressed and unexplained pain.
At Mission Connection, we understand the importance of mind-body psychotherapy techniques, as well as personalized care. Our licensed professionals offer a range of therapies, helping people address the sources of stress in their lives and cultivate effective coping strategies for psychosomatic disorders.
Get in touch today if you’re interested to learn about our treatments or would like to identify the source of psychosomatic issues.
References
- Chauhan, A., & Jain, C. K. (2023). Psychosomatic disorder: the current implications and challenges. Cardiovascular & Hematological Agents in Medicinal Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.2174/0118715257265832231009072953
- ScienceDirect Topics (n.d.). Psychosomatic disorder. ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/psychosomatic-disorder
- Psychology Today (2025). Psychosomatic symptoms. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/happiness-in-this-world/201003/psychosomatic-symptoms
- Bower, J. E., & Kuhlman, K. R. (2023). Psychoneuroimmunology: an introduction to immune-to-brain communication and its implications for clinical psychology. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 19(1), 331–359. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-080621-045153
- Efremov, A. (2024). Psychosomatics: communication of the central nervous system through connection to tissues, organs, and cells. Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.9758/cpn.24.1197
- Psychology Today (2022). Somatic therapy. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/somatic-therapy
- Kent, C., & McMillan, G. (2009). A cbt-based approach to medically unexplained symptoms. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, 15(2), 146–151. https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.bp.107.004606
- Luyten, P., & Fonagy, P. (2020). Psychodynamic psychotherapy for patients with functional somatic disorders and the road to recovery. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 73(4). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.20200010