Your Therapist Ignores Your BODY At YOUR Peril (Vaknin Narcissism Summaries YouTube Channel)

1. Medical and Psychiatric Handling of Victims of Abuse

• Medical doctors and psychiatrists often reject the victims’ accounts, pathologize them with fabricated medical conditions, and prescribe pills without recognizing the psychological background of symptom disorders, which is incorrect diagnostically and ethically. Victims are invalidated by being labeled malingerers or faker or misdiagnosed with nonexistent neurological conditions. [00:00]
• There is a denial in current medical practice of the connection between mind and body; symptoms manifest physically but have a psychological origin that cannot be reduced to just bodily or neurological causes. [01:00]

2. Functional Neurological Disorders and Conversion Disorders

• Functional neurological disorders include functional movement disorders, seizures, and sensory disorders. Doctors must carefully investigate and eliminate other diagnoses as symptoms are complex and mimic other physical conditions. [02:00]
• Conversion disorder is described as a simulation where victims cannot or do not verbalize trauma; symptoms imitate other medical conditions to displace blame from psychological trauma to bodily dysfunction. [03:30]
• The body rebels by manifesting symptoms such as paralysis, loss of vision, tremors, sensory disturbances, etc., as a form of expressing repressed trauma and abuse. These symptoms are real and seriously impact the victim. [06:00]
• Diagnosis is challenging and often avoided by doctors who prefer simpler solutions like prescribing medication. [07:20]

3. Psychological Causes and Impact

• There is strong evidence linking stressful life events, childhood neglect, and abuse to the development of functional neurological disorders and somatic symptom disorders. Victims often deny or are unaware of these traumas due to psychological defense mechanisms like denial. [09:00]
• The phrase “the body keeps the score” summarizes how trauma resides in and transforms the body, often alienating victims from their own bodies. [10:30]

4. Structure of the Video and Focus Areas

• The video comprises three parts: a general introduction to somatization, the effects of narcissistic abuse on the body, and a summary with additional insights. Free seminars on healing from narcissistic abuse are advertised. [11:00]
• Trauma and abuse impact the body mainly through sleep disorders and somatic symptoms. Sleep disorders are briefly mentioned but the main focus here is somatization. [13:30]

5. Definitions and Diagnostic Criteria

• Somatization and somatic symptom disorder are defined per the American Psychological Association and DSM manuals. Somatic symptom disorder has replaced somatization disorder with less restrictive criteria in DSM-5. [14:00]
• Conversion disorder involves neurological-like symptoms without identifiable medical causes, linked to psychological factors; diagnostic criteria have evolved, and functional neurological symptom disorder is the current term in DSM-5. [16:30]
• Symptoms are not faked or under voluntary control; the mind’s involvement is emphasized though neurological etiology may not be found. [17:30]

6. Types of Conversion Symptoms

• Two types exist: motor symptoms (e.g., paralysis, impaired coordination, loss of voice) and sensory symptoms (e.g., blindness, loss of sensation, tinnitus). [22:50]

7. Historical Origins and Theoretical Background

• Wilhelm (Viennese psychoanalyst) introduced the term somatization; Paul Bri characterized somatic symptom disorder (also known as Bri syndrome). [23:30]
• Freud linked conversion disorder symptoms to psychological stress after noting neurological-like symptoms without organic cause. Conversion disorder originally required psychological trauma for diagnosis; DSM-5’s functional neurological symptom disorder allows diagnosis even without proven psychological stress. [24:50]

8. Challenges in Diagnosis and Treatment

• Diagnosing these disorders requires ruling out neurological pathology and recognizing psychological involvement, which can be complex. Psychological stress or trauma is often associated but not always a mandatory diagnostic criterion in newer classifications. [26:50]

This summary encapsulates the key discussions and thematic structure of the meeting, providing clear timestamps for reference.