THE DOCTORS SAY IT’S ALL IN MY MIND
My parents are emotionally abusive and since I got married they’re even more controlling. They’ve never really accepted my husband even though he’s a wonderful man. Nothing is ever good enough for them. When they visit they find fault with everything and tell me how to run my life. They’ve even tried to persuade me to leave my husband.
Two months ago things came to a head when they had a huge argument with my husband and he asked them to leave our home and stop being so abusive towards us and our daughter. On that day I suddenly experienced a problem with my eyes – it was as if I could see only vaguely through a tunnel. I consulted a specialist and after various tests have been told there’s nothing physically wrong and it’s all in my mind.
I’ve always been a strong person, regardless of my bullying parents. So I can’t understand what’s happening now and how I could develop a problem that’s “in my mind”. What’s happening and what do I do now? Lindsey, email You’re most likely suffering from something called a conversion disorder – a physical symptom that develops due to an underlying psychological problem.
It’s important to realise a conversion disorder isn’t a person pretending to have a condition or “acting up”. It happens when the unconscious mind chooses to give you a particular symptom (tunnel vision, in your case) for a reason. On a conscious level you’re unable to do anything about the symptom because it’s your unconscious mind that’s brought on the condition.
A conversion disorder isn’t the kind of problem that can be solved quickly. You’ll have to work with a psychologist who’ll try to uncover the rationale behind the symptom and then to change this in order to find a resolution.
It would be best to consult with a psychologist trained in hypnotherapy which can be used to ascertain why the unconscious mind thinks you should have this particular symptom. It could then be used to persuade your unconscious mind to “help” you in another way. – ENGLISH POET WILLIAM WORDSWORTH