No one is lacking from any form of neurosis. It is part of being human. None of us are born into family structures which are completely whole and resolved. It takes a great deal of courage to admit we are flawed but this is the only way to ameliorate symptoms. It is a part of us which needs to be accepted and reconciled with.
How To View Neurotic Symptoms
It is possible to heal neurotic states if one is willing to work through their symptoms. It is important to understand that the symptom is an offshoot and not the source of the problem. Many get carried away pruning these symptoms but this merely manages an illness and does little to resolve it. This is like having a mosquito bite and rubbing gel over it to stop it from itching. You will still get stung because the mosquito is still in the room. It is more conducive to health to become accustomed to viewing the symptom as a symbolic gesture of what is stirring much deeper in the psyche.
How To Resolve Symptoms
With practice you can learn to recognize a cluster of symptoms which can help you become conscious of a complex set of behaviors. You will notice a pattern and can start to group and interlock the meaning of symptoms so that you start understanding the meaning of their relationship. Once the meanings of the symptoms are processed and felt, they simply dissolve. Managing the symptoms with medication or other methods can be temporarily beneficial but a resolution can only arise by recreating a different pattern of behavior so that the symptom does not need to reoccur.
A Hypothetical Example
Davey hyperventilated and grew suddenly hot and prickly while watching television. He spends a great deal feeling upset that these attacks happen. But this is a sign that something in Davey’s psyche is not in line with his ego. Instead of worrying about this symptom, it is more useful to work out why this symptom is presenting itself.
Symptoms are messages asking us to take a deeper look. Trying to manage this symptom without a deeper study will eventually augment distress and pull Davey further away from a resolution. A symptom is the thorn of a greater network of unconscious material which is masked by the expenditure of a great deal of energy. This is the reason why many sufferers find they always feel tired even though they sleep and rest well.
Why Did Davey Have a Panic Attack?
Davey could try to work out why he had his panic attack. He may have heard something on television or a thought may have suddenly been triggered or something may have caught his attention outside the window. Was it the ringing of the phone or a smell that momentarily caught his attention from the kitchen? When we use our senses, they often carry memories which can set off a quick succession of connections which are not obvious in our busy day-to-day life.
Davey remembered that he felt his panic attack as he was watching the news reporting something about a store. This suddenly activated his memory of helplessly watching two men brazenly shoplifting bottles of liquor from the supermarket.
How Do You Build a Web of Associations?
Creatively express or discuss the times a symptom occurs and reflect upon it. Try to feel the energy behind it and connect ideas until you see a pattern.
So Davey wrote down he feels tight in the chest when he drives in busy traffic. He always feels claustrophobic driving through the city. He yells out when he sees a pedestrian disregarding his right of way and admits he feels like running them over. He jumps out of bed to check the house if he hears a dog bark or an unusual noise outside. He secretly hates his boss because she keeps asking him to check in with her before signing letters. He has a habit of becoming sarcastic and goading when he feels like his children disobey him and don’t take his orders seriously. He verbally pounced on his wife when she asked him if he happened to spend $65 on something the other day.
Joining the Dots
Davey recognized that these events made him feel disproportionately angry and frustrated but he didn’t know why. An outline of interpretations can now be made. He told his wife that he felt like he was being blamed for something he was innocent of when asked to explain himself all the time. Then he recounted a time when his father rebuked him for stealing a toy but felt too ashamed to tell him he didn’t because all his friends were watching. He started remembering the times his father constantly barged into his bedroom without knocking or suddenly stripped the bed and yelled at him to wake up. He also felt cheated because whenever he received gift money his parents would use it toward paying for the alcohol supplied for the adults at his party.
This type of association building is complex and can take years to complete and will eventually require amplification to fully understand.
What is the Meaning of these Symptoms?
There is clear sense that Davey feels like he is overrun by others. He often feels smothered because he does not feel trusted to make decisions himself. He feels angry that he does not feel confident enough to express his feelings and thoughts because he feels “micromanaged” and “judged” and no one respects what he really wants. Supplementarily, the suggestion of his house and the image of the store being burgled is a symbol of his identity being robbed and exploited and ties in with his parents openly stealing his money. Amplification would show this struggle lies also with the collective.