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It is false that diseases are caused by repressed emotions
Psychology
PM3:19It is increasingly common to hear that our emotional well It can influence our physical health, but is it true that it can cause the appearance of diseases? It is true that we cannot forget that our emotions are directly connected to our body and that when we feel an emotion, our body experiences a physiological activation that allows us to cope with the situation in which we find ourselves.
In fact, authors such as Carmelo Vázquez point out the association between adequate emotional regulation and certain biological indicators related to health. Even the research group led by Carol Ryff has achieved some of the most relevant results in this area, finding in those people with more functional emotional management a lower cardiovascular risk and better endocrine regulation in relation to cortisol. This adaptive emotional management It would include aspects such as making sense of our experiences, looking for the positive in what happens to us or making adjustments to our vital objectives, also facilitating the existence of better interpersonal relationships.
In addition, there are several investigations that show the influence of optimism on our physical health, finding in those people with more positive expectations in the face of a stressful life event a better state of their immune system, as well as a better functioning of your respiratory system.
It is true, therefore, that proper emotional management and an optimistic attitude can promote active coping with stress or health problems, giving rise to behaviors aimed at solving problems, greater self-care and better adherence to recovery or treatment plans. This aspect is fundamental, and that is why psychological treatment aimed at certain pathologies such as cancer or chronic pain is becoming more and more common, as this favors the functioning of the body and allows better management of the emotions derived from diagnosis and treatment. In fact, in this way the quality of life of the person is favored.
As we can see, it is convenient to change the initial approach, which proposed the direct relationship between repressed emotions and the appearance of a disease, being more appropriate to state that proper emotional management can play a relevant role in the prevention and recovery of physical conditions and illnesses. In this way, our emotions can function as shock absorber facing the development or coping with physical pathologies.
Jesús Matos directs the team of psychologists of ‘In Mental Balance’. He has a Master’s degree in clinical and health psychology (UCM) and in Legal and Forensic Psychology (European Foundation of Psychology). Author of the book “Good morning, Joy” (Zenith), director of the website enequilibriomental.net, collaborator of specialized scientific media and speaker at numerous national and international conferences.
For his part, the psychologist Juan José Rodrigo has developed his professional activity in the clinical and health field in various contexts; collaborating with different entities such as the Jiménez Díaz Foundation and SAMUR-Civil Protection. He has also worked in the Comprehensive Network of Attention to Drug Addiction of the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, carrying out prevention and intervention work at the family and individual level.