Psychosomatics of herpes in children and adults
Herpes is a common viral disease that is difficult to confuse with anything else. In the people, some forms of herpes virus are called “cold”, and, according to some sources, most adults on the planet have herpes simplex virus. Sick herpesvirus diseases and children. Sometimes the cause of frequent relapses lies in the psyche, and this is what will be discussed in this material.
general information
Herpes viruses are very diverse and cause various diseases - from the characteristic rashes of watery blisters on the lips, nose, body, in the intimate area to lesions of the nervous system with inflammation of the meninges and the development of encephalitis. We list the main types:
- virus of the first type - This is the same “cold” on the lips and nose;
- second herpesvirus - genital;
- third - this is a well-known children's chicken pox or simply “chicken pox”;
- herpes virus type four - Epstein-Barr virus, which causes infectious mononucleosis;
- fifth virus of this group - cytomegalovirus;
- sixth virus causes a typical childhood disease - sudden roseola;
- viruses 7 and 8 types not fully understood, it is believed that they cause chronic fatigue and surrounding rash of unknown etiology.
Symptoms are characteristic of each of these viruses:
- Type 1 - rash only on the lips, itching and burning sensation, general malaise;
- 2 types - rash only on the genitals and in the anus, burning and itching;
- shingles - headache, rash on the body, neurological disorders, swollen lymph nodes;
- baby roseola (sixth type) - the sudden appearance of a pink rash on the body of a child exactly three days after the onset of fever;
- chickenpox - high temperature, the formation of watery rash in a child on the face, head, body.
Almost all herpes viruses are present in the body of an infected person once for life. Thus, roseola and chickenpox are sick once in a lifetime - the rest of the time, antibodies that protect against reinfection are detected in human blood. Simple and genital herpes are exacerbated from time to time, but antibodies are constantly detected in the blood.
The probability of recurrence of rash, according to doctors, affects:
- the state of immunity, its weakening by any reasons;
- overcooling and overheating;
- fever, other viral ailments (which is why flu and acute respiratory viral infections) often cause herpes on the lips.
Fully cured of herpes is impossible, there are only symptomatic means created specifically against a particular virus - antiherpetic.
Psychosomatic causes
If an adult or a child has contracted herpes for the first time, the psychogenic factor is insignificant - only psychogenic prerequisites for lowering immunity can be considered. We will tell about them below. But psychosomatic reasons must be sought with frequent exacerbations of herpes infection. In some people, the same “cold” on the lip or genitals appears once every few years, while others suffer from herpes several times a month. In any case, if there were no objective prerequisites for relapse (did not catch a cold, did not overheat in the sun, did not undergo radiation therapy, did not have flu or ARVI), and herpes worsened, possible psychosomatic factors of this illness should be considered.
The most common is herpes simplex. Therefore, we consider it first. Most people are carriers of this virus, but it is not aggravated by everyone. Lips, as the most frequent place of localization of a rash, in psychosomatics symbolize sounding of internal information. If a rash appeared on the lip, it means that the expectations of the person and reality did not converge, and now he needs to accept the real situation, abandon the fictional images and ideas.
It would seem that it is easier - to abandon what seemed to be erroneous. But the problem of people with frequent exacerbations of herpes on the lips lies precisely in this - they absolutely refuse to part with illusions, it is easier for them to deny reality than to change something in their worldview. Psychoanalysts have noticed that most often herpes is exacerbated in people who are prone to dream and dream. This positive, excellent skill can serve the unkind service if fantasies for a person are in the first place, and everything that does not correspond to them is fiercely rejected and denied. After such “clashes” with reality, the dreamer on the morning or in a couple of days there are characteristic rashes on the lips.
Herpes signals need to be able to hear and feel on time. Subconsciously, the girl may know that the guy with whom she started dating is a mean and dishonest person, but she came up with the perfect image that she tried on.
She herself already believes that he is good. But the subconscious mind cannot be so easily deceived - it causes cold sores on the lips as a signal that it is not worthwhile to approach this young man.
Here is another example of psychosomatic herpes. A man decided to invest free money in investments, but with no experience, he decided to read reviews on the Internet. Having read it, he nevertheless chose where to invest the funds, and he already imagines how he will calculate the profit. The company in which he invests is “fake”, fictitious. Herpes occurs as a warning immediately after the decision or after sending money, because subconsciously he guessed that everything is not so rosy.
People with herpes always lack critical thinking about themselves and the world. The more illusions a person creates about himself, others, and events, the more often he will have herpes. It is difficult for them to call everything by their proper names, they express allegorically, they avoid direct conversation. I wanted to say something to someone, but I suppressed my anger and kept silent - get an aggravation of herpes simplex. I discussed the shortcomings of others not with them, but behind my back - get a rash on the lips.
Genital herpes talks about identity problems. If a woman in her soul does not want to be herself, everything is masculine closer to her, and a man suffers from her “male” inferiority complexes, then frequent exacerbations of the herpes virus of the second type will be inevitable. As in the case of labial herpes, discussed above, genital is a warning - it's time to change something, remove illusions from the sexual partner, look at the relationship is real.
There are clear examples in psychosomatic practice: a woman lives with a man who doesn’t treat her well, drinks, doesn’t work, doesn’t care about her spouse, but there are still sexual contacts between them. The stronger the woman idealizes them, the longer she refuses to look at the parasite and parasite, realistically and consciously, the more often her rash on her genitals will worsen. Genital herpes is often exacerbated with a lack of love, resentment at a partner, hatred for him, resentment at himself (for example, for a secret sexual relationship on the side).
In childhood
The psychosomatics of frequent herpes in children is quite obvious: all the kids fantasize. But some are more mundane, while others, both in dreams and in reality, live in a fictional world, where mother is a good fairy, and father is a brave knight.Mothers are not always fairies, and sometimes punished, fathers do not always behave like knights in relation to mom, grandmother and child. For a child, the collision with these inconsistencies is like the collapse of the universe. Perplexity, insult to reality develops, and, as a result, the existing herpes virus sharpens.
Primary herpes infection usually occurs in childhood or adolescence, and therefore it should be considered which psychogenic causes lead to a decrease in immunity. If a child feels defenseless, misunderstood, and unfairly wronged, there is a decrease in immune protection. The same processes occur in children whose parents too often frighten a child with illnesses and dangers from the outside world. The lower the immunity, the higher the likelihood of encountering herpes for the first time.
The causes of chickenpox and roseola are more associated with the collapse of big dreams and fantasies, entire fictional worlds, which is why they are so widespread in childhood and extremely rare in adults.
Opinion researchers
Louise Hay, the compiler of a table of psychosomatic causes of illness, saw the causes of herpes simplex on her lips in the accumulated and unspoken bitterness of disappointment. The psychotherapist Valery Sinelnikov is sure that herpes appears when a person holds back his stinging remarks.
Genital herpes Liz Burbo explains the shame and even aversion of man to his own genitals, shame for the sexual aspect of relationships. Sometimes it comes from childhood, when a teenager was raised with the conviction that sex is a sin, it is unacceptable. A man grows up, sex is allowed to him, and his attitude towards him cannot be changed. Sinelnikov argues that men and women suffering from genital herpes are quite aggressive and wary of the opposite sex.
Maybe due to negative experience, maybe due to negative relationships with a specific partner - in each case, you need to look for the cause, taking into account the individual characteristics of family relations.
Treatment
As in the case of traditional treatment, psychosomatic does not guarantee that the herpes virus will disappear altogether and will not be detected when conducting laboratory blood tests. But competent work with your mental state and thoughts helps to reduce the frequent manifestations of the disease to nothing, the number of relapses decreases.
To begin treatment, it is important to find the root cause. Possible options we have indicated above. If you find it difficult to analyze your own attitudes and emotions, you can turn to a psychologist who will help to do this. Usually, after finding the cause, the answer to the question about the medicine appears - it becomes quite obvious what to do so that the herpes does not appear anymore:
- if you are too dreamy, take off your "rose-colored glasses" and start to get used to the real world - it is also beautiful and amazing, if you take it for what it is;
- if a child is dreamy - do not rush to lower him to the ground, let him dream, as long as his age allows, try to “play along” him, so that his dreams and reality will not diverge so sharply;
- be more attentive to the prompts of your body - the psychology of the disease is such that in most cases it is just a warning;
- learn to honestly express your emotions - by accumulating resentment and bitterness, keeping silent about them, we only increase the likelihood that we will often cure herpes on the lip or suffer from genital herpes.