Psychosomatic Case Book

A Family Perspective of Psychosomatic Factors in Illness: A Review of the Literature

“…Although psychogenesis begins with early object relations, the resulting psychosomatic process is conceptualized within one person. Grinker (53) described a man in whom psychosomatic pains and psychosis alternated. When he was encouraged to express aggressive impulses, his pain cleared but he developed a paranoid state.…”

“…Satir (99) states what other workers imply by omission: “My treatment process is the same regardless of…the diagnoses.” Senn and Solnitt (107) include in their therapeutic program for psychosomatic disorders in children, “attempts at modifying parental and family patterns of reacting to stress.” Family therapy can serve as a workshop to train the psychosomatic patient and family in awareness of significant affects, to avoid their being short circuited into somatic disfunction (81). Pertinent to this point are Witkin's (52, 53, 54) fascinating studies relating “Psychological Differentiation” with forms of psychopathology and forms of therapy. Persons better able to perceive and conceptualize themselves as discrete from the surrounding field and to perceive the field as organized, are on a higher level of psychological differentiation than those whose reactions are more dependent on their current context.…”

The Fallacy of Misplaced Concreteness

“…He is the second distinguished President of the Society from Chicago, where so many of our members went to finishing school, 30 a man who is one of the talented neuropsychoanalysts, a man who has been versatile enough to ride off in all directions at once while remaining firmly in the saddle. He is the second distinguished President of the Society from Chicago, where so many of our members went to finishing school, 30 a man who is one of the talented neuropsychoanalysts, a man who has been versatile enough to ride off in all directions at once while remaining firmly in the saddle.…”

LXXII Functional Disturbances of the Upper Swallowing Mechanism

“…Severe anxiety or depression has sometimes been the most prominent manifestation in early malignancy. 6 Dysphagia of psychogenic ongm varies widely in severity. In milder forms there may be the complaint of a lump in the throat which does not interfere with swallowing food.…”