Wounded Heart Syndrome: The Link Between Emotional Trauma and Physical Illness
Posted by Improving Lives Counseling Services, Inc. | Mental Health
Telling yourself you’re bigger and better than the hurt holding you back is telling yourself how you feel about your life instead of acknowledging the psychological pain you are experiencing. Whether it’s the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, rejection, betrayal, job loss, homelessness, physical abuse, or emotional abuse, it’s important to recognize that you’re not okay. The unrecognized world spinning around in your head is real and if left untreated the psychological impact of a wounded heart can lead to Broken Heart Syndrome and heart muscle failure. The licensed counselors, therapists, and clinicians at Improving Lives Counseling Services can help alleviate the physical impact by addressing the emotional pain and mental health symptoms associated with a Wounded Heart Syndrome.
WOUNDED HEART– CAUSES
Broken Heart Syndrome is a recognized physical illness, the term “Wounded Heart” is a metaphorical expression used to describe profound emotional pain or trauma resulting from significant life events, relationships, or personal struggles. This concept reflects the emotional and psychological suffering the patient experiences. The death of a loved one can cause as much psychological distress as divorcing after 40 years of marriage or being fired just before retirement. A teenager abandoned by a parent may endure emotional pain comparable to that of a parent whose child is lost or missing.
“A wound of the heart generates intense psychic stress and can create long-term damage to one’s personality due to overpowering negative moral emotions.” If left untreated, children who experience rejection, dysfunction, violence, or abuse can carry emotional wounds into adulthood. Statics show that 97% of people in prison had adverse childhood experiences, often inheriting emotional wounds from their parents, and if not treated, these wounds are frequently passed on to their own children.
Spousal or intimate partner abuse, child abuse, psychological abuse, and gaslighting can lead to feelings of vulnerability, submission, fear, anger, and a desire to escape. Emotional dependency, lack of coping skills, rejection, difficulties in forming connections, and a loss of identity can be profoundly traumatic. Even narcissists, who may appear to be in total control of themselves and those around them, can suffer from a wounded heart.
WOUNDED HEART – PHYSICAL EFFECTS
The rejection and emotional distress associated with a wounded heart can significantly impact physical health, leading to chronic pain, heart disease, high blood pressure, early-onset diabetes, digestive issues, ulcers, headaches, a weakened immune system, sleep disturbances, weight fluctuations, and fatigue. Patients who experience rejection, abuse, abandonment, betrayal, or failure often report random outbursts and episodes of crying.
Researchers have found that adolescents and teens from dysfunctional, highly stressed, or violent families often experience panic attacks, difficulty learning or retaining information, challenges in maintaining employment, and decision-making issues due to an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex. If untreated, these individuals may carry their wounded heart into adulthood, which can lead to problems such as criminal behavior, gambling, alcoholism, drug abuse, promiscuity (seeking human connection), and increased risk of suicidality.
If left untreated, the psychological effects of Wounded Heart Syndrome can potentially lead to Broken Heart Syndrome. Broken Heart Syndrome, or stress-induced cardiomyopathy, occurs after a significant physical or traumatic event. Since it shares symptoms with heart attacks and can weaken the heart muscle, it’s crucial to consult both a mental health professional and a medical doctor.
SUMMARY
When a friend or family member says, “my heart is broken” after a break-up, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, income, or a home – or if they describe an event as “breaking their heart,” – feel sadness, loneliness, or “a heavy heart”, encourage them to see a therapist. Early diagnosis and treatment of Wounded Heart Syndrome can help allay its impact on physical health.
Share this article with family, friends, and co-workers. Many people recognize the symptoms they’re experiencing but may not realize it’s a mental illness, Wounded Heart Syndrome, which can be treated. At Improving Lives Counseling Services, our diverse team of licensed counselors, therapists, and clinicians specialize in diagnosing and treating Wounded Heart Syndrome and its symptoms. To learn more, call 918-960-7852.
