If you've ever wondered why psychological treatment is recommended for conditions rooted in nervous system dysfunction, you're not alone. It's a question I’ve asked myself many times while navigating my own health journey. Here’s the answer I eventually came to.
When we think of stressors that cause chronic illness or nervous system dysfunction, we tend to separate them into different categories: physical (injury, pathogen-based illnesses), environmental (toxins, pollution), or psychological (stress, trauma). It’s easy to assume that when the stressor is purely physical or environmental, psychological treatment wouldn't be necessary. After all, if the stressor isn’t psychological, why would the mind need to be involved in the healing process?
The truth, however, is more complex.
The Nervous System: A Two-Way Street Between Body and Mind
Even if the initial stressor—whether physical, environmental, or pathogen-based—isn't psychological, when the nervous system becomes dysfunctional, it doesn’t just affect the body. It also affects the mind. The relationship between the brain and the nervous system is deeply intertwined, so when one part is disrupted, it can have ripple effects throughout the entire system. This is why we see psychological symptoms even when the root cause may be something physical, such as an infection or injury.
Nervous system dysfunction can impact your ability to think clearly, process emotions, and manage stress. It can leave you feeling “wired” and overstimulated, contributing to symptoms like anxiety, internal tremors, or even cognitive fog. So, while the original cause of the dysfunction may not have been psychological, the ongoing disruption affects both how you feel physically and how you process things mentally.
The Shift Toward Healing the Whole System
Once the nervous system becomes “disrupted” or “dysregulated” by a stressor, the focus needs to shift from the original cause to healing the entire system—both body and mind. This is where psychological support plays an essential role, even if the dysfunction’s root wasn’t psychological. Healing the nervous system requires a holistic approach that addresses not only functional disruptions but also the psychological processes affected by the condition.
For example, techniques like mindfulness, brain retraining exercises, and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) aren’t just aimed at treating anxiety or depression. They can also help retrain the nervous system, reduce overactivation, and promote a state of calm that supports healing.
Think of it like this: once the nervous system is in a constant state of fight-or-flight, it has a harder time regulating bodily functions and promoting rest and recovery. Calming the mind can help create the conditions necessary for the body to heal.
But What If the Original Stressor Is Gone?
One of the most frustrating aspects of nervous system dysfunction is that even when the original stressor—whether it was a virus, a physical injury, or an environmental toxin—is no longer present, the damage to the nervous system remains. The nervous system may continue to misfire, staying in a hypersensitive or reactive state long after the stressor is removed.
This is why healing from nervous system dysfunction often requires more than just removing the cause. It requires working to repair the damage left behind, and that means treating the body, mind, and the connections between them.
The Biopsychosocial Model of Healing
This is where the biopsychosocial approach truly shines. Healing goes beyond just addressing physical symptoms—it's about considering the whole picture: your body, your mind, and even the environment around you. When the nervous system is thrown off balance, everything becomes interconnected, so treating the entire system is essential, not just isolated pieces of the puzzle.
Even if the original trigger wasn’t psychological, an overactive nervous system can significantly impact your mental state. It constantly fires off stress signals, causing overthinking, worry, confusion, and even panic. This stress overload doesn’t just affect your mind—your body feels the strain too. Your gut, hormones, and immune system all become disrupted, and every stressor—whether internal or external—along with your thoughts and emotions, start working against you.
Your body gets stuck in a stress loop, disrupting cortisol levels, blood sugar, and neurotransmitters, leaving you in a heightened state of alertness. It’s as though your system becomes hypersensitive, overreacting to everything, including your own thoughts and feelings. This is why addressing the psychological aspect is crucial. Calming your mind can help regulate your nervous system, easing the stress on your body and paving the way for true healing.
Conclusion: Treating the Whole System
So, why would psychological treatment be recommended for something that started as a physical or environmental stressor? Because the nervous system doesn’t work in isolation. Once it becomes dysfunctional, it affects both body and mind, and healing requires a holistic, whole-system approach. The goal isn’t to suggest that your condition is “all in your head,” but rather to acknowledge that treating the psychological effects can be key to supporting recovery from nervous system dysfunction.
Healing the nervous system isn’t about choosing between treating the body or the mind—it’s about recognizing how deeply they are connected and focusing on repairing the entire system.
By understanding this, you can shift the focus away from only looking at the initial cause and instead work toward healing the entire system, knowing that both body and mind play essential roles in recovery.
References
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Porges, S. W. (2009). The Polyvagal Theory: New Insights into Adaptive Reactions of the Autonomic Nervous System. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, 76(Suppl 2), S86–S90.
Henningsen, P., Zipfel, S., & Herzog, W. (2007). Management of Functional Somatic Syndromes. The Lancet, 369(9565), 946-955.
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Sharpe, M., & Carson, A. (2001). "Unexplained" Somatic Symptoms, Functional Syndromes, and Somatization: Do We Need a Paradigm Shift? Annals of Internal Medicine, 134(9), 926-930.
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