Friday, July 30, 2010

Fibromyalgia, childhood sexual abuse and muscle tension

Once a week I do disability determination examinations for Social Security Administration at a location that is in the heart of Detroit. Most of the patients are very poor, and most of them suffer from plenty of vague pains, aches, and other physical discomforts, some of which arise from definite physical problems such as slipped discs in the back, bone spurs, lupus, etc., and some without the presence of clear cut physical etiology.

Whether or not their pain has clear physical basis, an astonishingly high number, on careful asking, give history of sexual and physical abuse in childhood. I find these physical aches and pains a substitute, arising from the factor of 'repetition compulsion', for the sexual experience itself, done in a distorted fashion, and simultaneously a self punishment for the abuse.

In my practice, on pursuing this line of thinking with my patients, I find that in an overwhelming number of cases the sexual experience was frightening, painful and humiliating. Nevertheless,
the patients repeat the experience in his or her fantasy and in extreme cases virtually every night. Its purpose is to abreact the trauma. When the patients are made aware that they are repeating the unwanted sexual trauma either in their racing thoughts/daydreams or in their nocturnal dreams, they first usually protest tooth and nail, but eventually see the correctness of the interpretation.

The relief obtained from repeating the trauma in their fantasies is meager in comparison to the punishment they heap upon themselves for repeating the experience in their thoughts. The punishment is not just for the guilt for having participated in the act - even when it was coerced, as is in an overwhelming number of cases - but it also involves punishing the perpetrator through identifying with him.

Childhood sexual abuse to females provokes thoughts/impulses/fantasies to attack the perpetrator, including a strong wish to castrate him to rob him of his penis for her own use, and a wish to have a child by him. The aggressive impulses towards the perpetrator is often discharged by turning it against one's own self and doing the suffering of the perpetrator through identification. Fibromyalgia in such cases occurs because the patient, on repeating the sexual trauma in her daytime fantasies and in her dreams, keeps her body tense. The muscles are tense because in sleep, when body musculature is supposed to be relaxed, it is not. Such patients, even in sleep, are in a state of half alertness, prepared to fight the perpetrator to void the abuse, attacking him back in the dream to avenge for the sexual humiliation.

Brain scan studies that show hypersensitivity to pain stimuli which is held as the cause of fibromyalgia does not contradict the above theory, it supports it. Childhood sexual activity is more painful than pleasurable because the body is not physiologically prepared for discharging the sexual stimulation. Also, often sexual abuse of children is accompanied by physically hurting them for sadistic satisfaction and to complete the intimidation process. Therefore, the tracts of pain are simultaneously stimulated with sexual behavior. As an adult, whenever there is any sexual arousal it immediately provokes the reactivation of pain tracts, increases muscle tension, and results in fibromyalgia.

No wonder people who have been sexually overstimulated as children avoid normal sexual activity as adults.

12 comments:

  1. Chronic pain that transmits the disease makes our defenses are so weak that the slightest movement, the pain grew much more; therefore, we turn to prescription drugs the doctor for health care as the narcotic drug opioids very good if used correctly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My partner and I stumbled over here coming from a
    different web page and thought I might as well
    check things out. I like what I see so now i am following you.
    Look forward to looking into your web page yet again.


    Stop by my website ... Subutex Doctors

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey would you mind sharing which blog platform you're using? I'm planning to start
    my own blog in the near future but I'm having a difficult time deciding between BlogEngine/Wordpress/B2evolution and Drupal. The reason I ask is because your design and style seems different then most blogs and I'm
    looking for something unique. P.S Apologies for
    getting off-topic but I had to ask!

    my webpage ... Wholesael NFL Jerseys

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great delivery. Sound arguments. Keep up the amazing effort.


    Also visit my blog; air max pas cher

    ReplyDelete
  5. Peculiar article, totally what I wanted to find.

    my web site; Read More Here

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think the admin of this site is really working hard in favor of his web site, because here every material is quality based information.


    my web site - Christian Louboutin Heels ()

    ReplyDelete
  7. Idiotic comments, probably mostly robots. Blog moderator should clear them off.
    Muscle hypertension and persistent subconscious terror / trauma needs to be better understood. It can ruin lives. Cultural biases often work against healing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi! I could have sworn I've been to this blog before but after reading through some of the post I realized it's new
    to me. Nonetheless, I'm definitely delighted I found it and I'll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!


    My blog NFL Jerseys Cheap

    ReplyDelete
  9. Heya i am for the primary time here. I found this board
    and I find It truly helpful & it helped me out much.

    I am hoping to provide something again and
    aid others such as you helped me.

    My page Air Max Pas Cher

    ReplyDelete
  10. You can certainly see your expertise in the work you write.
    The arena hopes for even more passionate writers like you who aren't afraid to say how they believe. At all times follow your heart.

    My blog; Michael Kors **

    ReplyDelete
  11. Do you have a spam issue on this site; I also am a blogger, and
    I was wanting to know your situation; we have developed some nice procedures and we are looking to trade techniques
    with others, please shoot me an email if interested.


    Also visit my web page; Borsa Gucci

    ReplyDelete
  12. Excellent website. Plenty of helpful info here.
    I am sending it to several buddies ans also sharing
    in delicious. And obviously, thanks in your sweat!

    my weblog: Soldes Air Jordan

    ReplyDelete