Possible psychology behind asthma

Medical hypnosis

There is plenty research and literature available that describe the value of hypnosis as an additional method in the treatment of medical challenges.  The value of the so-called mind-body relationship is becoming more and more relevant.

Hypnosis, for example, is proven to be one of the best treatment methods in the treatment of stress and anxiety.  When anxiety is brought under control, the body’s immune system strengthens itself to withstand and even overcome diseases such as asthma.

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)

This new field of PNI now suggests that emotions may just be the final link that causes the immune system to decompensate.

The main interests of PNI are the interactions between:

• the nervous and immune systems, and
• the relationships between mental processes and health.

For a better understanding of PNI, please read my article on PNI on my website, Mind over Matter. It will explain the building blocks of PNI.

Analogue thinking

Language is in essence psychosomatic.  Our words and the expressions we use have been greatly borrowed from what we experience with our body. We can only understand something when we experience it in our body. 

Analogue thinking is where a symbolical meaning of a word becomes literal to the subconscious mind and it represents itself on a physical level. For more information on Analogue thinking, please refer to my article Mind over Matter on my website.

Asthma

Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterised by various, recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction that can easily trigger bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. In other words, there is a constriction in the throat or bronchial passages.

Asthma is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Environmental factors include exposure to air pollution and allergens (i.e. pollen and grass-seeds).

However, there is also a psychological aspect associated with asthma.

The psychology behind asthma

Asthma is in essence a breathing problem. 

Emotional problems such as anger, suppressed feelings, grief or fear may form part of these feelings.

Your throat is the passage way from you heart to your head. There may be a blockage in your throat.

According to our Eastern friends, there are various focal points used in a variety of ancient meditation practices, collectively denominated as Tantra, part of the inner traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism:

• your fourth Chakra is situated in your heart and chest area. Your heart is the seat of all your feelings and emotions;
• your throat and neck represent your fifth Chakra;
• your head and face are represented by your sixth Chakra;
• your seventh Chakra represents your spirituality.

When you are experiencing feelings and emotions, you will experience feelings and emotions from the seat of your emotions, your heart (your fourth Chakra).

Dealing with these emotions, you may need to change your thinking and emotions in talking about it, experiencing emotions in the form of tears, to think about it in your sixth Chakra.   You may even find Spiritual peace and meaning in your seventh Chakra.

In order for you to deal with your feelings, your energy needs to move from your Fourth Chakra up to your sixth and seventh Chakra.

All your feelings and emotions must flow through your fifth Chakra, your Throat Chakra, situated in your neck-area. Your throat amongst others, is situated in this Chakra. It may happen that emotions, too difficult to deal with, may get stuck in the Throat Chakra, causing all sorts of breathing challenges.

Thus, Asthma may also mean a blocking of the expression of your emotions.  You may feel suffocated.  Suffocated by too much work, challenges, or people etc., to such an extent that you feel you can’t breathe for yourself (refer to Analogue Thinking). 

You may experience a sorrow or grief you may carry within yourself for a long time, which you might want to let go but subconsciously unable to.

Literature also suggests that here may be a strong connection between asthma and your relationship with your mother as a child.

In the womb, your mother is breathing for you and after your birth you need to breathe by yourself.  After birth, many mothers want to still breathe for their children, to such an extent that the mother suffocated, dominated or overwhelmed the child with a suppressed dependence on the mother as a result.

The child cannot learn to breathe for themselves which may cause a challenge if another child is born, or the child leaving the house or getting married.

In adulthood you may feel suffocated by your boss, your work, your responsibilities and you literally feel you can’t breathe for yourself, feeling helpless.

You are expressing your feelings when you exhale. People with asthma may feel as if they can’t say or express what they feel when they are unable to exhale.  You literally hold your breath and the emotions build up in your system without the opportunity to be expressed.

Asthma attacks are usually triggered by emotions such as anger or hot feelings towards someone or something when feeling misunderstood. It is called a lack of assertiveness when you feel your feelings can’t be expressed. The lack of assertiveness contributes to feelings of anxiety.  You can read more about Assertiveness on my website

If you struggle with asthma, ask yourself the following questions:

• am I struggling with anxiety?
• did my mother possibly smother me as a child?
• am I feeling helpless?
• am I experiencing suppressed grief?
• am I somehow afraid of freedom?
• is there perhaps an old suppressed anger within me?
• am I experiencing internal conflict?
• am I experiencing a low self-esteem?
• am I feeling overwhelmed?

If you can give a positive answer to more than one of the above, psychotherapy may help you treat your asthma.

Psychotherapy

The primary task here is to open up those blocked feelings and to develop better communication, especially with yourself, your family and friends. It should help you to express your feelings, rather than keeping it all to yourself.

Firstly, we would like to discover where these blocked feelings come from, using psychotherapy. If there was any trauma in your life where you have felt that you could not breathe for yourself, such as trauma, a feeling of suffocation, literally or figuratively – we may first of all need to desensitise your trauma. Even an overprotective parent may be experienced as trauma if you feel later in life that you cannot be independent and therefore cannot breathe for yourself.

It is sometimes necessary to first process these old trauma as described above. We are using to address this challenge. You can read more about this exciting form of therapy by visiting my website https://jorganharris.co.za. BWRT is a powerful form of therapy to desensitise old trauma.

When trauma is resolved with BWRT (it takes one to two sessions), asthma can be treated with clinical hypnosis. Clinical hypnosis, (of which you can read more on the same website, under Hypnosis) together with psychoneuroimmunology are being used to address your asthma. With psychotherapy, the aim is to assist the subconscious to help you to:

• overcome your trauma blockages;
• helping you with your anxiety;
• assist you with your lack of assertiveness and
• uplift your self-esteem.

Case study

During his first session, Jean* complained about his lack of communication. He was diagnosed with General Anxiety disorder and Post traumatic stress.  As result he started developing asthma at the age of four.

According to him, he felt overwhelmed by life. He couldn’t finish things he started, as if he was busy sabotaging himself. He also felt the need to be comforted by people for unknown reason to him. He felt sadness in him for a long time, as if there was a constant grief present.

Two traumas in Jean’s life held him back. He was molested as a child and could not talk about it or get it out of his system. On the other hand, he had an overprotective mother. Jean felt that he was smothered by his mother as a child, and could not express his own opinions.

After working through these two traumas, using BWRT, Jean was able to talk about his molestation for the first time. This was an enormous breakthrough since there is a stigma about molestation.  It is believed to be an embarrassment.  During BWRT, we worked through another trauma, namely that his mother slapped him in the face one day while he voiced his own opinion. Since that day he felt that he lost his voice and his ability to speak up.

After working through these challenges, he was able to reduce his anxiety, get back his sense of independence and increase his emotional strength.

His marriage has improved, and he was better able to communicate, at home and at work. For the first time he felt alive and could begin to breathe by himself.

His asthma symptoms were noticeably relieved.

*Not his real name