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Physical “Phantasies” and Family Functions: Overcoming the Mind/Body Dualism in Somatization
Author(s) -
REDEKOP FRED,
STUART SCOTT,
MERTENS CAROL
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/j.1545-5300.1999.00371.x
Subject(s) - psychology , somatization , dualism , dichotomy , psychotherapist , mind–body problem , etiology , developmental psychology , psychiatry , epistemology , mental health , philosophy
In this article, we examine some of the ways in which family therapists have conceptualized the experience of illness of unexplained physical origin. We argue that opinions about the etiology of somatic symptoms should not be the primary focus of therapeutic work with people who share the prototypical characteristics of what has been defined as “somatization disorder.” We suggest that current research in neurobiology can expand the linguistic resources of clinicians and help them avoid perpetuating unhelpful dichotomies between the mind and the body.