It’s All in the Mind (and Body): An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Lived Experience of Psychotherapists Treating Patients With Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS)
type: CreativeWork
description: MUS are a heterogeneous group of conditions characterised by persistent physical symptoms that cannot be explained by illness or injury. The symptoms can be as painful as any organic disease. Due to their physical nature, they are typically managed within medical settings. The doctor attempts to find a structural abnormality or pathology. They may refer the patient to a gastroenterologist, cardiologist, rheumatologist or immunologist for investigative tests. Oftentimes surgeries are carried out with no relief and the problem persists. As a result, MUS accrue significant financial costs to healthcare systems on a worldwide scale. Symptoms can be transient or chronic and debilitating. Patients can become disabled, withdrawn and unable to work. They may suffer in silence as a result of not being believed or become despondent when tests show that there is nothing physically wrong with them. The prevalence of MUS and chronic pain is an ever-increasing health problem. It can have an impact on a personal and societal level due to accompanying co-morbid conditions, such as depression and anxiety. The aim of this thesis is to explore how psychotherapists understand MUS and to establish if patients with MUS can be effectively treated in psychotherapy, rather than a medical setting. A literature review was carried out as an empirical part of the project. Evidence from clinical, epidemiological, and experimental observations show that psychological factors are regarded as central to the problem of MUS. However, extant research has neglected to account for the treatment of MUS in psychotherapy. Having determined a real-world need to find new ways to treat the problem of MUS, a qualitative study was undertaken with 14 psychotherapists experienced in working with the phenomenon in clinical practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The study revealed that unresolved feelings and disavowed emotions are at t…
abstract: MUS are a heterogeneous group of conditions characterised by persistent physical symptoms that cannot be explained by illness or injury. The symptoms can be as painful as any organic disease. Due to their physical nature, they are typically managed within medical settings. The doctor attempts to find a structural abnormality or pathology. They may refer the patient to a gastroenterologist, cardiologist, rheumatologist or immunologist for investigative tests. Oftentimes surgeries are carried out with no relief and the problem persists. As a result, MUS accrue significant financial costs to healthcare systems on a worldwide scale. Symptoms can be transient or chronic and debilitating. Patients can become disabled, withdrawn and unable to work. They may suffer in silence as a result of not being believed or become despondent when tests show that there is nothing physically wrong with them. The prevalence of MUS and chronic pain is an ever-increasing health problem. It can have an impact on a personal and societal level due to accompanying co-morbid conditions, such as depression and anxiety. The aim of this thesis is to explore how psychotherapists understand MUS and to establish if patients with MUS can be effectively treated in psychotherapy, rather than a medical setting. A literature review was carried out as an empirical part of the project. Evidence from clinical, epidemiological, and experimental observations show that psychological factors are regarded as central to the problem of MUS. However, extant research has neglected to account for the treatment of MUS in psychotherapy. Having determined a real-world need to find new ways to treat the problem of MUS, a qualitative study was undertaken with 14 psychotherapists experienced in working with the phenomenon in clinical practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The study revealed that unresolved feelings and disavowed emotions are at t…
author: Kalish, Lesley
language: eng
keywords: Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS), Functional Somatic Disorder (FSD), Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder (FNSD), Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), Autonomic nervous system (ANS), central nervous system (CNS), Chronic Pain, Mind-Body Connection
date published: 2024-3-28
date modified: 2026-07-24T03:26:52Z
provider: University of Northampton
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Northampton