Role of Yoga and Meditation as Complimentary Therapeutic Regime for Stress-Related Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Utilization of Brain Waves Activity as Novel Tool.

During recent decades, stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, chronic tension headache, and migraine have established their stronghold in the lives of a vast number of people worldwide. In order to address this global phenomenon, intensive studies have been carried out leading to the advancement of drugs like anti-depressants, anxiolytics, and analgesics which although help in combating the symptoms of such disorders but also create long-term side effects. Thus, as an alternative to such clinical practices, various complementary therapies such as yoga and meditation have been proved to be effective in alleviating the causes and symptoms of different neuropsychiatric disorders. The role of altered brain waves in this context has been recognized and needs to be pursued at the highest level. Thus, the current study provides a review focused on describing the effects of yoga and meditation on anxiety and depression as well as exploring brain waves as a tool for assessing the potential of these complementary therapies for such disorders.

How I Thought Myself into Illness, Then Thought My Way Out.

When doctors couldn't find an explanation for my mysterious symptoms, including back pain, aching joints, and tingling limbs, I went on a quest to uncover the root causes. My journey took me from the West Coast to the East Coast, from physical therapists to psychiatrists, from the body to the mind, chronic pain to repressed emotions, existential crisis to posttraumatic growth.

[Psychosomatic research in 2018: Lost illusions, renewed hopes]. / La recherche psychosomatique en 2018 : illusions perdues, espoirs renouvelés.

A critical analysis of the basic hypotheses of psychosomatic research and the sometimes hasty assertions drawn from the previous works makes it possible to better discern the data confirmed by the most recent works or the most rigorous meta-analyses and to highlight the emerging tracks. If the hypothesis of behavioral patterns specifically related to the risk of certain pathologies seems abandoned, the predictive value of depression in the cardiovascular field, more than in that of oncology, becomes clearer. Negative affect and impaired emotional awareness emerge as two complementary factors of somatic vulnerability. Several vulnerability factors seem all the more effective as they affect individuals of lower socio-economic status. Social exclusion feeling and its links with the inflammatory response appear to be a possible common denominator, both for depression and for many somatic conditions. A series of studies on the cerebral regulation of emotions and stress, as well as on bidirectional brain-bowel relations and on the mediating role of the gut microbiota, complements the available epidemiological data. The same is true for certain advances in behavioral neuro-economics, which inform the decision-making processes of patients facing preventive health choices. Lastly, it appears that a significant part of the excess mortality associated with the existence of severe mental disorders is not due to factors inherent to the patients themselves, but to disparities in the quality of the care provided to them.

Anxiety and psychosomatic symptoms in palliative care: from neuro-psychobiological response to stress, to symptoms' management with clinical hypnosis and meditative states.

Psychosomatic disorder is a condition in which psychological stresses adversely affect physiological (somatic) functioning to the point of distress. It is a condition of dysfunction or structural damage in physical organs through inappropriate activation of the involuntary nervous system and the biochemical response. In this framework, this review will consider anxiety disorders, from the perspective of the psychobiological mechanisms of vulnerability to extreme stress in severe chronic illnesses. Psychosomatic medicine is a field of behavioral medicine and a part of the practice of consultation-liaison psychiatry. Psychosomatic medicine in palliative care, integrates interdisciplinary evaluation and management involving diverse clinical specialties including psychiatry, psychology, neurology, internal medicine, allergy, dermatology, psychoneuroimmunology, psychosocial oncology and spiritual care. Clinical conditions where psychological processes act as a major factor affecting medical outcomes are areas where psychosomatic medicine has competence. Thus, the psychosomatic symptom develops as a physiological connected of an emotional state. In a state of rage or fear, for example, the stressed person's blood pressure is likely to be elevated and his pulse and respiratory rate to be increased. When the fear passes, the heightened physiologic processes usually subside. If the person has a persistent fear (chronic anxiety), however, which he is unable to express overtly, the emotional state remains unchanged, though unexpressed in the overt behavior, and the physiological symptoms associated with the anxiety state persist. This paper wants highlight how clinical hypnosis and meditative states can be important psychosocial and spiritual care, for the symptom management on neuro-psychobiological response to stress.

Do Self-efficacy Expectation and Spirituality Provide a Buffer Against Stress-Associated Impairment of Health? A Comprehensive Analysis of the German Pastoral Ministry Study.

We aimed to analyse stress perception, psychosomatic health and life satisfaction in pastoral professionals, paying particular attention to their individual and shared resources. Enrolling 8574 German pastoral professionals (48% priests, 22% parish expert workers, 18% pastoral assistants, 12% deacons), we found that pastoral professionals' stress perception is associated with psychosomatic health impairment. General self-efficacy was a beneficial resource to protect against stress perceptions, while perception of the transcendent had a further yet weakly positive influence for stress-related impairment of health. External stressors (i.e. team size, duration of work per week and size of pastoral unit) were only of marginal independent relevance.

The association of interpersonal trauma with somatic symptom severity in a primary care population with chronic pain: exploring the role of gender and the mental health sequelae of trauma.

OBJECTIVE: Female trauma survivors develop somatic symptoms more frequently than males. We propose a model for somatic symptom development among trauma survivors, focusing on gender. METHODS: Among 597 urban primary care patients with chronic pain, we examined the association between somatic symptom severity and three interpersonal trauma types: 1) sexual trauma (ST), 2) intimate partner violence (IPV), and 3) childhood trauma history (≥3 adverse childhood experiences (3+ACE)). We developed a structural equation model in which PTSD, depression, and substance abuse were evaluated as potential mediators of the path between trauma exposure and somatic symptom severity, and explored the role of gender in this model. RESULTS: 350 (59%) respondents were female; the mean age was 47. Women reported significantly more somatic symptoms than men, although somatic symptoms were increased among all interpersonal trauma survivors. In models in which the potential intervening variables are considered in aggregate, we did not find a signficant interaction between gender and trauma on somatic symptom severity, with the exception of 3+ACEs. A structural equation model showed depression and substance abuse, for men, and depression, for women, were associated with somatic symptom severity. PTSD was not associated with somatic symptom severity. Paths from trauma exposures to mental health sequelae were stronger for men. CONCLUSIONS: Women have more severe somatic symptoms. With the exception of 3+ACEs, the association between trauma and somatic symptoms is amplified in both genders. Structural equation models showed the pathways differed by gender in function and strength of association.

[Current views of psychosomatic diseases].

This review is designed to analyse current views of physicians representing different fields of medicine (psychoanalysis, pathological anatomy, psychiatry, etc.) on the problem of psychosomatic diseases with reference to its history, past and present concepts, etiopathogenetic mechanisms of these conditions. The authors propose to use the results of analysis as a basis for considering psychosomatic diseases as a singular etiopathogenetic entity resulting from dysregulation of rhythm-organizing structures.

[Embodied inequalities: challenges for psychosomatic medicine]. / Verkörperte Ungleichheiten: Herausforderungen für die psychosomatische Medizin.

Even though highly criticized, the reductionist biomedical paradigm dominates medicine until today. This downplays that we as humans are not only biological organisms but simultaneously also social beings which live in socially organized societies. Disease and premature mortality are thus embodied expressions of the conditions under which we live and work. The paper outlines that a large part of prevailing diseases are strongly influenced by social, economic and political determinants and analyses how social inequalities get under the skin and cause adverse health. Considering social as well as biological processes can generate new evidence, how we biologically incorporate our lived experience and thus create social patterns of health and illness not only in societies but also between societies.

Role of cultural factors in the biopsychosocial model of psychosomatic skin diseases: an Indian perspective.

Cultural factors can influence the experience and presentation of diseases, including psychosomatic diseases. Psychosomatic dermatology refers to skin diseases in which psychogenic causes, consequences, or concomitant circumstances have an essential and therapeutically important influence. Indian culture is one of the oldest and most diverse, and encompasses the various traditions and beliefs of people all over the vast Indian subcontinent. This paper discusses how cultural factors can influence the clinical course of some dermatologic problems and reviews the cultural dimension of some common skin conditions in India, including vitiligo, facial hypermelanosis, acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and leprosy. The paper illustrates some examples of the contributions of a patient's cultural values, beliefs, and practices to the biopsychosocial model of psychosomatic skin disorders.

Identifying patterns of recovery experiences and their links to psychological outcomes across one year.

PURPOSE: The main aim of this study was to examine patterns of recovery experiences (i.e., psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery and control during off-job time) and their links to psychological outcomes (job burnout, work engagement and sleep problems) across 1 year. METHODS: The study is based on 1-year longitudinal data collected among Finnish employees (n = 274) using questionnaires. First, patterns of recovery experiences, that is, subgroups of employees with unique and distinctive patterns of mean-level stability and change in recovery experiences across 1 year were identified using Latent Profile Analysis. Second, differences in psychological outcomes between the patterns identified were investigated by means of ANOVA/ANCOVA for repeated measures. RESULTS: Five patterns of recovery experiences were identified. Over 70% of the employees belonged to a pattern with reasonably high stable levels of all four recovery experiences across the 1-year follow-up. This pattern seemed to suffer least from job burnout and sleep problems. Of the four remaining patterns, those with experiences of high levels of mastery and control during off-job time had highest work engagement, and among those with decreasing levels of all recovery experiences job exhaustion increased across time. CONCLUSIONS: Patterns of recovery experiences play a significant role in maintaining long-term psychological well-being.

[Chronic muscular pain is not unexplainable]. / Kroniske muskelsmerter kan forklares på mange måter.

BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic muscular pain suffer from extensive symptoms although test results are normal. Symptoms considered as "unexplained" are not necessarily unexplainable. Recent research provides relevant frameworks for understanding the interaction of bodily and mental processes and life conditions. Such perspectives can be used as a point of departure for understanding and change of conditions shaping vulnerability and resistance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The article presents a summary of theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and clinical experience, with a discussion of how this body of knowledge can be applied in clinical practice. RESULTS: Distress can lead to dysregulation through spinal sensitization and sustained arousal. Psychoneuroimmunology describes how subjective experience, emotions, cognitive functions, the nervous system and physiological stress reactions interact to restore balance through complex signal systems. Responses are influenced by emotional and cognitive processes, dependent on individual vulnerability and strength. Phenomenology focuses on life circumstances, meaning, and interpretation of bodily signals. Through acknowledging patients' experiences doctors can shift the attention from shame to coping. INTERPRETATION: Chronic muscular pain can be explained by the interaction between body, mind and life circumstances. Searching for simple causalities and consistent findings will provide no benefit. Instead, we should encourage coping strategies with the capacity of breaking vicious circles that maintain symptoms.

Mindfulness training modifies cognitive, affective, and physiological mechanisms implicated in alcohol dependence: results of a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Mindfulness training may disrupt the risk chain of stress-precipitated alcohol relapse. In 2008, 53 alcohol-dependent adults (mean age = 40.3) recruited from a therapeutic community located in the urban southeastern U.S. were randomized to mindfulness training or a support group. Most participants were male (79.2%), African American (60.4%), and earned less than $20,000 annually (52.8%). Self-report measures, psychophysiological cue-reactivity, and alcohol attentional bias were analyzed via repeated measures ANOVA. Thirty-seven participants completed the interventions. Mindfulness training significantly reduced stress and thought suppression, increased physiological recovery from alcohol cues, and modulated alcohol attentional bias. Hence, mindfulness training appears to target key mechanisms implicated in alcohol dependence, and therefore may hold promise as an alternative treatment for stress-precipitated relapse among vulnerable members of society.

Somatic and psychiatric comorbidity in patients with chronic pruritus.

It has been reported that 10-50% of patients with pruritus but no skin rash have an underlying systemic disease and up to 70% a psychiatric one. The aim of this retrospective study was to review the records of a large number of patients with chronic pruritus for concomitant diseases and treatment options. Medical records of 139 patients (52 males, 87 females) with chronic pruritus who visited the outpatient dermatological clinic during a 17-month period were reviewed. Itch was the presenting symptom in 6 of 47 patients with systemic disease and in 17 of 31 patients with psychiatric disease. Twenty-four patients had neuropathic itch and 37 patients had pruritus of unknown origin. The most severe and long-lasting itch was found in patients with multiple systemic diseases and in those with pruritus of unknown origin. Pruritus of the scalp and face was most common in psychogenic pruritus. Phototherapy was found to be a useful therapeutic option. In conclusion, systemic diseases are unlikely to cause chronic pruritus in patients consulting a dermatology department.

Between life and death: exploring the sociocultural context of antenatal mental distress in rural Ethiopia.

The high prevalence of antenatal common mental disorders in sub-Saharan Africa compared to high-income countries is poorly understood. This qualitative study explored the sociocultural context of antenatal mental distress in a rural Ethiopian community. Five focus group discussions and 25 in-depth interviews were conducted with purposively sampled community stakeholders. Inductive analysis was used to develop final themes. Worry about forthcoming delivery and fears for the woman's survival were prominent concerns of all participants, but only rarely perceived to be pathological in intensity. Sociocultural practices such as continuing physical labour, dietary restriction, prayer and rituals to protect against supernatural attack were geared towards safe delivery and managing vulnerability. Despite strong cultural norms to celebrate pregnancy, participants emphasised that many pregnancies were unwanted and an additional burden on top of pre-existing economic and marital difficulties. Short birth interval and pregnancy out of wedlock were both seen as shameful and potent sources of mental distress. The notion that pregnancy in traditional societies is uniformly a time of joy and happiness is misplaced. Although antenatal mental distress may be self-limiting for many women, in those with enduring life difficulties, including poverty and abusive relationships, poor maternal mental health may persist.

[Functional somatic syndrome in dental practice].

Functional somatic syndromes (FSSs) are common in dental as well as medical practice. Many patients with unexplained symptoms in oro-maxillo-facial areas visit dentists, but they are not diagnosed and treated properly. Temporomandibular disorder, atypical facial pain, and glossodynia (burning mouth syndrome) are included in dental FSSs. These diseases overlap with each other and with FSSs in other organs, such as myofacial pain syndrome, tension-type headache, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome. They coexist with mental disorders, such as anxiety disorder, mood disorder, and somatoform disorder. Multidisciplinary and holistic approaches should be applied to dental FSSs; pharmacological therapy (antidepressants), physical therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. Clinicians have to support a patient in"enjoying his/her life with symptoms". Dental specialists in "oral medicine" with psychosomatic viewpoints are now required.

[Biomedical and psychosocial treatment of fatigue in functional somatic syndrome].

Fatigue is one of the most common complaints of patients with functional somatic syndrome (FSS), which includes chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Although the etiology of fatigue related to FSS remains unclear, accumulating evidence has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy and graded exercise therapy are effective for treating fatigue in patients with CFS. This suggests that psychosocial intervention and physical rehabilitation, as well as biomedical treatment, play an important role in treating fatigue in FSS patients. Here we provide an overview of the biomedical and psychosocial treatments for fatigue in cases of FSS.