Migraines and headaches have long been viewed as a purely medical issue. But that’s not necessarily always the case.
While migraine education and research is constantly expanding, there still is no certainty of what medically causes (or cures) migraines.
In fact, even during severe migraine auras, there often are no underlying medical issues detected, and MRIs and CT scans are commonly negative. While medications are prescribed to treat migraines, it is usually done so with the understanding that what the person suffering from the migraine does on their own to understand their headaches may end up being the most effective treatment.
Before posting, please read our blog moderation guidelines. The comments below begin with the oldest comments first. Click on the last comments page to jump to the most recent comments.
Before posting, please read our blog moderation guidelines.
Post a Comment:
Copyright © 1995-2013 Psych Central. All rights reserved.
Site last updated: 19 May 2013
|
I have to assume the author of this article has never experienced a migraine in their life. Other than a crying induced headache triggering a migraine there is absolutely no way one could accurately claim migraines are caused by a psychiatric condition or state. Lack of sleep, yes -but too much thinking, anger? There is a huge difference between a tension headache that may be brought on by stress but a migraine is in a whole different category of Hell and it’s speculation like this that causes many who have never experienced life altering migraine pain to not take this truly debilitating condition seriously.
The author isn’t suggestion a psychiatric condition. Nor suggesting a cause. He is talking about psychological conditions being triggers for migraine. Psychiatry and psychology are not the same disciplines. The following research abstract outlines similar psychological triggers http://bit.ly/MS50Oq
A good qualified hypnotherapist can help with mind/body related problems and migraine can be one of these. Having ruled out anything medical, hypnosis can access the subconscious and ‘teach’ it to tune into the sensations of being relaxed so these can be switched on even after hypnosis has ended. An ability to switch on relaxation can often head migraine off at the pass as soon as warning signs are felt.
Thanks for the article. All migraines are different and the sources of them are quite different as well. I believe they arise from a combination of factors. With that said, it’s good to consider psychotherapy as part of an overall treatment plan.
I’m pretty sure migraines require a trigger to get your head to hurt. And these triggers are quite wide in scope and vary significantly from person to person.