Dr. Eric Bender

Oh, when you are touched there, that is not something that's okay.

So I do think there's some truth to this idea that our bodies react to trauma physically and emotionally.

Yes.

And I'm imagining you see this in patients too.

Somatic symptoms are when elements of mental health issues present as physical symptoms.

And it does not mean, I want to be very clear about this, it does not mean the pain is not real.

It means that

When you experience pain, you might also have it exacerbated by mental health issues.

So when I have patients with chronic pain, they'll tell me, oh, this pain is acting up.

So I know that's a sign that I'm actually more anxious.

So we can talk about the anxiety as opposed to talking about the physical pain.

They understand that.

And they'll tell me, yeah, I definitely see a correlation.

So I can see and do see physical symptoms as a result of emotional symptoms.

But it's very important to make sure your patient doesn't,

think you think they're not having real pain.

They feel like they're understood, that they can hear that.

This pain won't go away even though they've been, say, at a neurologist or two primary care doctors or a bunch of people and evaluated and they say, there's no root cause.

We can't see anything.

Pain is pain.