somatoform symptoms

(body issue, not really bothering about colors here)

So I/we have this strange thing that suddenly my right arm started doing strange things. Um... like hiccups. When it's severe, once per second or sometimes faster. Or otherwise, with multiple seconds or longer in between. Like twitching I guess. (sorry, horrible at explaining these things). Just muscle twitching. Freezing? my arm. I read about somatoform disorder and it actually felt quite similar.

** Trigger warning **
I asked inside what the cause was / could be and someone (don't know / don't remember who) answered it was electric shocks ... It feels pretty much exactly like that - except for the pain (but if it's a body memory - I really hope not - memories have no feelings attached for me, so that would explain why there's no pain). I have always been sensitive to electric shocks (I think they made me feel nauseous). But I've always been sensitive to that kind of thing. Anyway, thought this might help explaining it.
** end **

I've suspected it started after something quite stressful about a week ago. It was fun, but stressful. I've read somatoform disorder is caused by stress. I just don't know how much. (In my case, it was still very manageable, certainly not traumatic or anything like that!). It started a few days later. And now it seems to fade away lately.

I can prevent it, to some degree. Or let it happen (by 'letting it go'). But still, when it happens exactly (at which interval etc.) seems to be random. Stress seems to make it worse. Thinking about it makes it worse. Occupying myself with something makes it go away (luckily, otherwise my arm would really hurt after so much strain).

Anyone an idea or having something similar? Should this be taken seriously?

- us (?)

I have pseudoseizures, but sometimes they are isolated to things like a jerk in the arm and such. The more an alter is "out" the less they appear to have these "twitches."

For me they feel like a startle reflex. Here is some good information from medscape on them.
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1184694-overview

The pseudoseizures are being added to the DSM 5 as a Specifier: a) A substantial proportion of patients with Dissociative Identity Disorder have conversion symptoms, which are related to their dissociative disorder and require special clinical attention and treatment. b) Some Dissociative Identity Disorder patients have dissociative variations in somatic symptoms that require clarification for differential medical diagnosis and treatment.

Reference: Spiegel D et al: Dissociative Disorders in DSM-5.
http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/Anxiety,% ... orders.pdf


Do I take them serious? Nope - not at all. No more than being startled when someone scares me.

How long has this been going on?

It could be something as simple as just hitting a nerve in there somewhere. Nerve pain very much feels like electric shocks. Could just be dissociative.

Check it out if you're worried.

Like with what sev0n said, I have psychosomatic seizures (possibly real ones too, but that's a different story) and my T has remarked numerous times that huge numbers of dissociative clients she's seen have had similar issues or conversion disorders.

I've definitely noticed a trend for when they're better or worse
the psychosomatic ones are worse when I'm switchy
the epileptic ones are worse when I first wake up
and make adjustments based on that.
At one point, I had to wear a neckbrace because they'd gotten so bad that the spasms were causing problems in my neck muscles and bones. However, I've also noticed a big decrease in the seizures since starting with my T. If it is something psychological versus neurological, tackle it as much as you can bear with your inner peeps and your T. You'll get through it.

I have seizures/spasms and was told they were due to dissociation.

The spasms aren t serious; but the fallin down part is cause I get hurt.

As long as you re not hurtin yourself by hittin fi a wall or somethin, this is somethin that s not dangerous as far as I know?

Fabio

Good to hear, then, nothing to worry about. May just seem a bit strange to other people, but is easily explained (It looks like it's a physical disorder, and stress is an easy explanation). Think I just let it be, hope it will go away on it's own.

It seems like I can suppress them when needed (but that takes effort), and that they disappear when I'm doing something with my arm. So, no falling down. I was worried at first I would let things fall, but it hasn't happened because whenever I grab something, it just doesn't happen.

What I've also realized, I've once had an injection at that place. I dissociated the pain (very sensitive, couldn't cope otherwise), which came back in the next days/weeks. But after a while, it was more than what I expected. Maybe there's indeed something behind this. Well, I'll just assume there's nothing dark behind this, for the time being. Just something to keep in mind.

lifelongthing wrote:How long has this been going on?

Nearly a week.

Anyway, thanks for knowing it isn't something to worry about. And it's fading away anyway. (I'm not even sure which part wanted to ask this. I felt like, not really important but then the 'new thread' was there in front of me... )

Sounds normal for DID. The thumbnail sketch is that some possibly minor past trauma was stored as a body memory that has been brought to the surface by some aspect of your activities a week ago. You can suppress or dissociate the body memory again but as you know that does not make it go away, just stuffs it back inside. Any body psychotherapist could help you release the body memory and get long term relief. You may also be able to release it by yourself.

By the way, body psychotherapy is not the same as body work.

Una+ wrote:The thumbnail sketch is that some possibly minor past trauma was stored as a body memory that has been brought to the surface by some aspect of your activities a week ago.

Hadn't thought about that. Yes, that's also possible. There were lots of potential triggering things. (It's still open in whether that certain trauma happened, so that's why I call it 'potential' triggers).

Una+ wrote:By the way, body psychotherapy is not the same as body work.

I've looked it up (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_psychotherapy) but don't really understand it, what it actually is. I certainly don't have it now.

Una+ wrote:You may also be able to release it by yourself.

How do you do that? I've tried just letting it happen but that doesn't seem very productive.

** possible trigger **
I don't know whether it's related, but sometimes, (when I'm also not in control as usual), I see myself in pain or in horror of something. Sometimes ducking away from something. Sometimes apparently letting something happen. I feel (almost) no emotion when this happens. I would imagine lots of pain, but they're hidden (I do feel a bit pain at times). Letting it out seems to help a bit somehow. Is this what you mean by releasing it?
When I have this now, my arm starts to shock much more (or rather, at that moment starts to shock).

A friend of mine who gets panic attachs said body awareness is no good for her, but it's been helping us with our twitches/jerks.

Same as everybody else said, we've been getting sharp twitches/jerks of upper body, arms and facial twitches/grimacing which comes and goes. Tiredness, stress and thinking/talking about our past brings it on. The T has been doing body awareness stuff with us when we start shivering/chattering teeth/ jerking during our sessions (which we invariably do) and it seems to be helping.

Mainly she just gets us to concentrate on the Body. Sit comfortably, lean back if you can, feel the seat under your bum and the weight of your Body on it. Feel the seat touching your back, feel the weight of yourself. Touch your stomach so you can feel your stomach move as you're breathing. Breath deeply and try to gain an awareness of the act of breathing. (That's not the same thing as feeling your stomach move because you're breathing.. no idea how to explain, we've only managed a couple of times so far.. but even the awareness of the movement alone helps us).

Teatime wrote:Tiredness, stress and thinking/talking about our past brings it on.

Yes. All three (although, tiredness seems to be less of a cause). I forgot the last one I think, but that definitely makes it worse.

I've tried grounding/body awareness (I think it's similar?). I tend to space out / zone out when I do that, so I don't exactly get really 'grounded'. My mind just wanders off. It has helped me occasionally, though, to calm down. Sometimes, I get so over-focused on my body that it doesn't really help me calm down. Then I get really obsessed with breathing perfectly, with the exact right posture, etc. So when that happens, I better stop. Or, other times, I 'float away'. I literally feel like I'm floating away. Not really. Just the feeling. (This is probably dissociation too, in some way).

Because I don't know a better place, off topic stuff following.
I got in those emotionless re-experiences again (well, I think it are re-experiences, what would it be otherwise?). I've always wondered what the cause could be, never could really accept the possibility of SA without any real proof to me (like, a really vivid flashback, stuff like that). For that reason, I've never been able to fully see those re-experiences as real. I've come to realize, while I don't know the exact cause, or cannot be sure about it, I know the emotions are real. **trigger warning** I have really felt pain. I have really felt the need to duck for something. I have felt something happening to me. Stuff happening to me outside my control that hurt, in some way. Stuff that brought disgust (facial expressions are pretty clear about that). I have felt horror. **end** I think I have to accept this all. That I experienced these emotions. Because they come back now.
Doing that brought a positive change. It became less overwhelming. It touched me more. I think it also helped overcoming non-realization (by at least acknowledging the emotions). After it, I still feel the effects of it. More than usual (but it has also been longer than usual). It helped me feel the emotions as my emotions, rather than emotions from a different dissociated part. I think this helps in usefully processing it (whatever 'it' may be).
And I heard a voice saying I would feel the pain soon, now I was able to? Not sure whether this one is real (as in, a part) and trustworthy. Whether or not it was real, it would make sense to me. I just hope it wouldn't be too overwhelming.