Throat ailments are among the most common in both children and adults. Many people are familiar with the unpleasant feeling of stiffness and sore throat when trying to swallow or say something. Some people have throat health problems more often, others less often. Not always, pain in the throat can only be explained by viruses or bacteria, sometimes they are of psychosomatic origin.
General information
The throat as a concept does not exist in anatomy. It is used in speech to refer to the part of the neck that is as far away from the spine as possible, the front cervical part. The throat is a symbolic designation of a place that is both the beginning of the esophagus and part of the respiratory tract. It allows a person to eat, reproduce sounds, breathe.
In addition, the throat is involved in the immune function, it is in it that areas of lymphoid tissue are located that inhibit the movement of dangerous viruses and bacteria into the respiratory tract.
The throat hurts for a variety of reasons - from mechanical damage when trying to swallow something hard, sharp to an infectious lesion.
With pain in this part, a variety of diseases occur, for example, acute respiratory viral infections, influenza, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, laryngotracheitis.
Common clinical symptoms include:
- increased body temperature;
- runny nose (optional);
- pain when swallowing, perspiration;
- headache;
- increased secretion of saliva;
- complete or partial absence of voice, hoarseness.
It is believed that in childhood, the throat hurts more often due to the immaturity of the immune system.
Inhalation of dusty and polluted air, hypothermia, and the presence of other diseases in humans contribute to the development of throat diseases.
When is the disease psychosomatic?
Psychosomatics considers diseases not only from the point of view of anatomical and physiological changes, but also in their close connection with the emotional and mental state of a person. This means that there are prerequisites that determine the development of the disease. Are throat problems always psychosomatic in nature? Of course not. The child came into contact with a sick sore throat and became infected - most likely, the matter is in pathogenic bacteria, the throat is inflamed with SARS - viruses are to blame.
They talk about the psychosomatic nature of the disease when the true cause of the disease is not obvious: the examination does not show the presence of pathogenic bacteria or viruses in the mucous membranes of the throat, the person is generally healthy, but he is worried about the unpleasant feeling of a lump in the throat.
Frequent morbidity indicates a psychosomatic origin, when the throat hurts with enviable constancy. Very often chronic pharyngitis or tonsillitis is of a psychogenic nature.
Also the psychosomatic origin of the disease is said if the prescribed treatment does not help and the disease either does not recede, or it recedes for a short while and returns again.
How psychosomatic diseases develop is not very difficult to understand: certain emotions and feelings, attitudes that a person has, cause muscle spasm, tension, blood circulation in the area of spasm is disturbed, the conduction of nerve impulses changes, which creates a prerequisite for an inflammatory or other disease.
What psychological reasons can have a throat disease, we will tell below.
Causes
The throat, according to psychosomatics, is the part of the body that is responsible for self-expression. Pay attention, when a person experiences difficulties with self-expression, is characterized by increased shyness, shyness, it is very difficult for him to speak in public. As soon as the situation develops so that it is necessary to do this, there is a quite palpable spasm in the throat, this is often described as a "lump in the throat." It interferes with speaking, and sometimes does not allow breathing normally.
Considering that several important functions are assigned to the throat at once (nutrition, breathing, immunity, voice), the psychosomatics of throat diseases are also quite complicated. The most famous researchers have offered different explanations for throat problems: Louise Hay has argued that people with sore throats have serious problems expressing their creativity, and Liz Burbo says sore throats are a sign of self-dislike. Psychotherapist Valery Sinelnikov emphasizes that the throat symbolizes a person's ability to stand up for himself, to declare himself, about his needs, ask for something that he needs.
If a person is afraid to ask or is afraid to declare himself, then throat problems are inevitable.
Psychosomatic medicine is based on a large number of observations of specialized doctors and psychotherapists, who find common psychological prerequisites for a whole group of patients. This creates a psychological portrait of a classic patient with psychosomatic sore throat or pharyngitis.
A sore throat gives a person the opportunity to remain silent, to say nothing, not to answer, not to ask. In this way, the disease arises as a defense against severe stress that a person experiences when it is necessary to tell the world about his needs, desires, intentions... On a subconscious level, a person is sure that a sore throat will relieve him of the need to speak, although the situation requires it, this is his alibi.
Psychologists believe that most often an adult has a sore throat for no apparent reason in a situation where he is extremely dissatisfied with the circumstances, but for some reason cannot express it in words.
So, people who are forced to work at an unloved job, to live with an unloved person often suffer from throat diseases. The fear of losing something important to them (money, stability, etc.) makes such a person to be silent, to squeeze words and emotions rushing out. Is it any wonder that their throats are often squeezed?
People who often complain of sore throats have problems with self-realization. They want something completely different, not what they are forced to do, they certainly have something to say to the world, but they lack the courage to do it. Most often, they swallow resentment and irritation, force themselves to keep silent about their true feelings.
Anger and resentment tend to accumulate (like mucus in the throat), become inflamed (causing redness, cutting pain, inability to take a sip), strong negative emotions can cause throat swelling, and strong suppressed hatred can cause severe inflammation with pus.
There are many researchers who are sure that throat diseases are often characteristic of other people - the exact opposite of the psychological portrait described above. It's believed that excessively noisy, noisy, scandalous people who admit a lot of obscene and dirty curses in their speech, more often than others suffer from sore throat... The psychology of the disease does not exclude that both are right.
Any violation of contact with the world (and refusal to express painful, and excessive abuse for any reason and without it) create the prerequisites for "throat" violations.
Certain diseases and conditions
In each specific case, the search for the causes of psychosomatic illness in an adult or a child should be carried out taking into account individual character traits and age.
Sore throat and lump
It is believed that a sore throat indicates that a person has a need to express himself, but either himself or someone else prevents him from doing this. People who do not want to change themselves often suffer from unpleasant perspiration, although they understand that the need for this is already ripe. Difficult breaths are a symbol of the fact that a person has too few new goals, aspirations, but there is an inner need for them.
According to many researchers, tickling is based on the suppression of one's true abilities.... It often happens, and this is especially noticeable in the example of children, that suppressed talent leads to chronic diseases of the throat: the child has artistic abilities, draws well, but the parents insist that the child play sports or music.
As a result, the talent remains unfulfilled and reminds of itself throughout life, but it becomes more and more difficult to realize it over the years.
Laryngitis
At the heart of this disease, researchers see the accumulated irritation or even contempt for a particular person, group of people, or for certain events. Laryngitis in childhood occurs more often than in adults, already because it is more difficult for children to formulate in words what they feel, children cannot say everything, especially directly, into the eyes of adults.
Often suffering from frequent episodes of laryngitis - people who prefer not to interfere in the course of events... They see something that clearly does not suit them, for example, injustice or cruelty towards others, but they can not stand up and loudly declare their protest, stand up for the offended person - they are afraid.
Often people with laryngitis are dependent on public opinion, they are afraid of the prospect of becoming a laughing stock... Often these people are kind and good, but just very polite, which imposes certain restrictions on what they consider permissible to speak aloud or keep silent.
Laryngitis in children often develops due to the child's extreme insecurity in their abilities.
Pharyngitis
The development of this ailment is usually led by a person's long-term dissatisfaction with the world and the circumstances in which he exists. It is believed that the longer a child or adult is in such circumstances, the more frequent manifestations of chronic pharyngitis can be.
Often with such a disease, children try to "shout" to adults - to pay attention to their needs, which they cannot ask for because of age or fear of rejection.
Angina
Psychosomatic causes of angina often lie in events in which a person was never able to say the final word. I wanted to refuse, but I was afraid to offend with the refusal, as a result, severe inflammation develops.
Most often, sore throat is affected by trouble-free adults who do not know how to say "no", even if it is detrimental to themselves... Also, this disease is often found in people who work in teams, where employees' own opinions, which are different from those of management, are not welcomed and suppressed in every possible way.
In children, frequent sore throats begin when the child is forced to exist according to the rules dictated by adults.
There are families where the child does not have the right to speak at all, and the child simply cannot respond with a refusal to some demand from his mother or father. Any attempts to rebel are suppressed, the parents believe that they know better than others that the child will actually be useful. With illness, the child tries to delay the onset of events that are not desirable for him, for example, the need to go to an unloved music school, in which the parents insist with such zeal.
Adenoids
It is children who most often suffer from adenoiditis, since they absolutely do not know how to get rid of thoughts and feelings that are no longer needed, which can be considered obsolete, outdated. The less the child is willing to tell adults about them, the more likely it is that he will have inflammation of the adenoids.
Very often, adenoiditis is found in children whose parents are incredibly restless, worried about the health of the precious child and this worry is excessive, irrational.
Often babies whose parents quarrel very often suffer from adenoids... A child cannot prevent a quarrel, he is too small, and therefore he feels that something unpleasant, terrible is approaching, but he can neither talk about it, nor take at least something for prevention.
Throat cancer, neoplasms
Malignant neoplasms localized in the throat, usually people who are contemptuous and aggressive towards others suffer... They usually have a lot of grievances and old "bills", they tremulously keep all their grievances and even flaunt this "I remember everything, I have not forgiven them anything." These people are selfish, embittered, very wounded. They want to isolate themselves from this imperfect world, pride is not alien to them.
There is only one thing left for the throat cells in such an environment - to behave like a host, selfishly and aggressively, this is how a cancer cell divides.
Treatment
If a person turns to a psychotherapist or psychologist with the question of how to get rid of a frequent sore throat, if all doctors have already passed, all sprays and pills have been tried, and nothing helps, then the following is strongly recommended to him.
- To reconsider what he does on a daily basis - whether he is satisfied with the profession, work, the team in which he works, whether he succeeds in translating his creative ideas into life, does he feel that he is doing what he loves. If there are negative answers, it is worth considering the possibility of changing jobs with a preliminary moment of "truth" - you will have to tell your boss and colleagues everything that you have been silent and accumulated for so long.
- Learning to control the accumulation and release of emotions - to understand that to be angry or not is only your decision, and the anger does worse only to you, but not to those at whom it is directed.
Any reaction to an event, person or something else is a conscious choice of each of us. Accordingly, it is you who are able to stop being annoyed and angry.
- All unpleasant thoughts should be replaced with positive ones - in the end, everything that happens happens for your good, even if it does not seem so. Then the significance of the event will become apparent.
- Despite your busyness, try to devote at least a little time to doing the business of your dreams, your hobby. Even if you don't succeed in giving up everything and going headlong into self-realization, be sure to find an activity that you like. In order not to be mistaken, check with what you enjoyed doing as a child - this is usually what is the thing to return to in your free time to make your throat healthier.
When treating a child for psychosomatic throat problems, it is imperative to reconsider the model of parenting behavior and upbringing. It is best to ask the child what he wants to do, what interests he has. It is important to teach the child to express their opinion.
