Marius and the pain that had no cause
(Marius, 35 years old)
Marius struggled with physical complaints for most of his adult life. It started gradually - with tension in his neck, occasional headaches and a stomach that often rebelled. But it got worse over the years.
One morning he woke up and felt a sharp pain in his chest. He panicked. Was it a heart attack? He had himself taken to hospital. The doctors examined him thoroughly - ECG, blood tests, ultrasound. Everything was fine.
"Maybe stress," said the doctor and sent him home.
But the pain remained. And it moved. Sometimes it pulled in his back, then his hands tingled. His stomach burned as if he had swallowed fire. Sometimes his legs felt as heavy as if they were made of lead.
Marius ran from doctor to doctor. He wanted an explanation. But each time he got the same result:"You're healthy."
But he didn't feel healthy.
His everyday life became increasingly difficult. He was afraid that he had a serious illness - perhaps one that the doctors had simply not yet discovered. His thoughts constantly revolved around what was wrong with him. He listened to his body, analysing every twinge, every change.
His job as an IT specialist suffered as a result. He used to be one of the best in his team, but now he could hardly concentrate. He sat in front of the screen, but his mind was elsewhere - on his pain, his anxiety.
His relationship with Lara also became increasingly strained. She tried to reassure him, telling him that he was worrying too much. But he couldn't hear that. He felt misunderstood.
The pain and exhaustion brought him to a point where he had hardly any energy left. He withdrew, avoided friends and cancelled appointments. It was as if his life was shrinking bit by bit.
At some point, a doctor recommended that he see a psychotherapist. Marius became angry."It's not mental!" he protested. But at some point he gave in - out of desperation.
In therapy, Marius slowly learnt to understand that his symptoms did not have a physical cause, but carried a different message. His body was speaking for him because he himself was unable to express his fears and inner pressure.
He realised that he had defined himself by performance his whole life. There could be no mistakes. And certainly not weakness. He had never learnt to look after himself. His pain was a cry for help - his body was forcing him to finally come to terms with himself.
It was a long road. But over time, Marius learnt to deal with stress differently. He began to let go of his fear of illness and understand himself better.
The symptoms didn't disappear overnight. But they became less frequent, less threatening. And at some point - when he least expected it - he felt free again for the first time in years.
What the story of Marius tells us:
The somatoform disorder
The case study of Marius shows the typical dynamics of a somatoform disorder. His symptoms are real and very distressing, but cannot be explained medically. Behind this is a psychological cause that manifests itself in physical complaints.
The cycle of somatoform disorder
Marius gets caught in a vicious circle:
He feels a symptom (e.g. chest pain).
He panics and fea