Bodily symptoms – messages from the unconscious to the conscious

What is psychosomatics?

More and more people feel things in their bodies that doctors cannot explain by physiology alone: tightness in the chest, stomach pain, headaches, skin reactions. This does not mean the symptoms are "in our heads." It means the body actively participates in the way we experience our emotions.

Psychosomatics explores precisely this connection – what happens when the psyche is unable to bear the tension and it passes into the body. Bodily symptoms are a message from the unconscious to the conscious; they tell us that at some point there was a missed or unprocessed experience (Peseschkian, 2003).

How do psychosomatic symptoms arise?

Generally speaking, bodily symptoms appear where words are absent. When a person cannot name their emotion or turn it into a thought, the body becomes the only "spokesperson." Instead of "I am angry," a tightness in the stomach appears. Instead of "I am afraid," back pain sets in. This is the psyche's way of surviving when there is no other way to cope (The Global Psychotherapist).

The role of early relationships with parents

Bion answers this question through projective identification: the infant projects (projection is a defense mechanism in which we unconsciously attribute our emotions to other people instead of recognizing them as our own, with the aim of reducing internal tension) feelings that cannot yet be understood or expressed in words onto the mother. If she is "good enough," she can contain (a term introduced by D. Winnicott, describing the way in which the mother or primary caregiver creates psychological and emotional safety for the infant), modify and return these projections in such a way that they become bearable for the child's psyche (Bion, 1962). If this does not happen, emotions remain "locked" in the psyche or manifest in the body through symptoms – such as bodily pain, skin reactions or chronic fatigue. In many cases they are linked to unprocessed anxiety and intense emotional tension (Bion, 1962; Bronstein, 2010).

Most common psychosomatic symptoms

• The stomach – often reacts to unrecognized anger and tension.

• The skin – reflects a sense of lack of protection or safe closeness.

• Headache – sometimes accompanies suppressed guilt, self-blame, over-control.

• Palpitations – arise when fear has no name.

In other words, psychosomatic symptoms often carry a hidden meaning – they are a reflection of experiences and emotions that were not contained and modified during early development.

What is the meaning of psychosomatic symptoms?

The symptom has a dual function:

1. Regulatory function – the body allows the psyche to "evacuate" inexpressible emotions that could be destructive if they remained only in the mind.

2. Semiotic function – the symptom is a signal of internal conflict or traumatic experience, which the body conveys to the outside world and to the individual themselves.

In the words of Peseschkian, the symptom is not only a sign of inner distress, but also an invitation to pay attention to experiences that have been excluded from consciousness.

Pain or a skin reaction is not simply accidental, but a carrier of psychic content that awaits recognition and meaning.

Psychosomatic symptoms or medical illness?

Psychosomatic symptoms are real physical complaints and should always first be evaluated by a doctor. When medical investigations do not provide a sufficient explanation for the symptoms, the influence of psychological factors such as stress, anxiety and unprocessed emotions may also be considered.

Psychotherapy for psychosomatic symptoms

The therapeutic process creates space for containment, understanding and symbolization of experiences:

• Creating a safe space where the patient can express the unconscious.

• Transforming unrecognized emotions into thoughts and symbols.

• Connecting bodily reactions to the inner world and turning them into meaning.

In this way, the symptom begins to be "heard" not as a danger signal, but as an invitation for the integration of psyche and body.

Psychosomatic symptoms as a path to self-understanding

Psychosomatic symptoms are not a sign of weakness or imagined suffering. They are real bodily experiences that often reflect inner tension, unprocessed emotions or longstanding psychological conflicts.

Headaches, stomach discomfort, palpitations, skin reactions and other psychosomatic symptoms can be the way the body expresses what has not been able to be expressed in words. Rather than being viewed solely as a problem, they can be understood as a signal of the need to pay attention to a person's inner world.

Through psychotherapy, these experiences gradually acquire meaning, and the connection between emotions and the body becomes more comprehensible. It is precisely in this process that the symptom ceases to be the sole bearer of suffering and becomes an opportunity for deeper self-knowledge and psychological development.

Conclusion

"Bodily symptoms are not a whim, but a message – they tell us that at some point there was no one to contain our emotions, or there was, but they did not know how" (The Global Psychotherapist). When this changes, the body gradually stops "screaming" – because there is now someone to listen.

References

Catalina Bronstein. (2010). On psychosomatics: The body as a target of primitive attacks. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 91(5), 1077–1095.

Фройд, А. [FREUD, A.] (2000). Егото и защитните механизми [The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence]. София: Лик. [in Bulgarian]

Wilfred Bion. (1962). Learning from experience. London, UK: Heinemann.

Бион, У. Р. [BION, W. R.] (2023). След размисъл [Second Thoughts]. София: Рива. [in Bulgarian]

Уиникът, Д. (2008). От педиатрия към психоанализа (превод на български). София: Център за психосоциална подкрепа.

Песешкиян, Н. [PESESCHKIAN, N.] (2003). Психосоматика и позитивна психотерапия - Том 2 [Psychosomatics and Positive Psychotherapy – Volume 2]. Варна: Славена. [in Bulgarian]

The Global Psychotherapist. (n.d.). Articles on psychosomatics and positive psychotherapy. Retrieved from https://www.positum.org