Somatic Symptom Disorders: When the Body Speaks What the Mind Can’t Say
“The Body keeps the score.” This theory, popularized by trauma specialist Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, is especially relevant for people suffering from Somatic Symptom Disorders (SSDs), which describes individuals who experience bodily symptoms, and often significant pain, despite no apparent underlying medical basis for said symptoms.
For many patients, the pain is real, but their healing has been elusive.
In a time when nervous system dysregulation, chronic pain, and invisible illnesses are on the rise, we need to ask not only what’s wrong, but what the body is trying to say?
At Thera Wellness®, we believe the solution is to pay closer attention to the body’s signals, rather than just the symptoms.
What are Somatic Symptom Disorders?
- As defined by the DSM-5-TR (2022), Somatic Symptom Disorder involves:
- One or more distressing physical symptoms,
- Excessive thoughts, feelings, or behaviors related to those symptoms,
- Disruption to daily functioning, regardless of whether a medical cause can be found
This is a significant departure from previous models, which disregarded medically unexplained symptoms as “psychosomatic.” By 2025, the emphasis has shifted from the absence of disease to the presence of suffering, often unsaid and unprocessed.
According to recent studies, SSD affects about 7% of the adult population, with substantially greater percentages in trauma survivors, chronic pain patients, and people subjected to long-term stress or immunological challenges.
The Brain-Body Disconnect: How Stress Becomes Sensation
Over the last decade, advanced neuroimaging has repeatedly demonstrated that people with SSD exhibit:
- Overactivation in the anterior insula (linked to interoceptive awareness)
- Altered connectivity in the salience network
These changes make the body’s internal impulses feel louder, scarier, and more difficult to control. Result? Real pain, exhaustion, and dysfunction without a structural reason.
Chronic stimulation of the HPA axis (Stress response system) locks the neurological system into hypervigilance. What starts as stress turns into inflammation, pain or digestive problems.
The Trauma Link: When the body stores what the mind can’t express
Research reveals that childhood trauma, emotional neglect, and unresolved PTSD all raise the likelihood of somatic diseases in adulthood. In times of trauma, the body frequently serves as the final and most audible testimony.
This idea reframes SSD as a problem of inadequate recovery rather than a misconception.
Why Standard Treatment Still Falls Short
Traditional healthcare systems often struggle with SSD. Why?
- Tests return normal → patients feel dismissed.
- Symptoms persist → more tests, referrals, frustration.
- Mental health referrals → stigma and limited results.
Pharmacological options remain inadequate. A review discovered that SSRIs, analgesics, and muscle relaxants provide little relief for SSD unless combined with trauma-informed care or Cognitive behavioral therapy.
Cognitive behavioral therapy can be beneficial, especially when combined with somatic activities, but pure cognitive reframing does little to calm an overactive nervous system.
Holistic Solutions
At Thera Wellness ®, we offer a unique path forward through alternative energy medicine:
- Somatic Experiencing & Interoceptive Work
- Helps complete the body’s incomplete stress responses (fight/flight/freeze)
- Focus on internal safety → Symptom elimination
- Biofeedback & Neurofeedback
- Real-time feedback helps patients self-regulate their autonomic nervous system
- Reduces pain intensity, anxiety, and interoceptive fear
- PEMF and Microcurrent Therapy
- Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy promotes tissue repair, reduces inflammation, and resets cellular communication.
- Microcurrent vagal stimulation supports gut-brain healing, calm, and parasympathetic tone.
- Bioresonance Therapy & Frequency Medicine
- Bioresonance identifies stress signatures within the body’s biofield and emits corrective frequencies.
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
- Works by breaking the fear–symptom–rumination loop that sustains SSD.
At Thera Wellness®, we believe the body does not lie; it communicates.
We don’t ask “What’s wrong with you?”
We ask, “What happened to you, and what is your body trying to tell us now?”
The future of medicine will be integrated in 2025. Somatic Symptom Disorders are not mysteries to be solved; they are stories the body is attempting to convey.
We can help patients feel safe in their skin again by providing compassionate listening, cutting-edge technology, and trauma-informed care.
If you’re a practitioner looking to serve better SSD patients or someone looking for relief from inexplicable symptoms, Thera Wellness® is here.
We communicate via the language of the body. And we can help you recall how to listen.
Disclaimer:
This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute professional medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional before incorporating any new therapy into your practice.
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