Psychosomatic physiotherapy

Psychosomatic physiotherapy is one of the specializations within the Group Practice Minerva. The therapy is given by Loes Dehne, who has been a psychosomatic physiotherapist since 1996. She is a member of the KNGF and the NFP (Dutch Association of Physiotherapy according to Psychosomatics).

Psychosomatic complaints are physical complaints related to psychological overload (eg due to high work pressure, emotional events or conflicts). Usually, the physical symptoms are the most obvious although medical examination does not provide a clear cause.

You can think of complaints such as:

• general fatigue
• muscle and joint complaints
• headache
• abdominal complaints
• chest tightness, hyperventilation, chest pressure, palpitations

For example, psychological complaints can manifest themselves in:

• irritability, excitement
• sleep disorders
• fear, uncertainty
• depression, gloom
• the feeling that you can no longer enjoy and relax

You can be referred for psychosomatic physiotherapy by your general practitioner, company doctor, specialist or psychologist. Before the start of the treatment, there will first be an interview and examination to map out your complaints. Then a treatment plan is drawn up.

The aim of the treatment can be:

• gain insight into the cause of your complaint and into the factors that may be responsible for the continuation of your symptoms
• learning relaxation and awareness of how you breath
• refining a healthy body feeling and body awareness
• promoting physical functioning, which positively influences your self-confidence and self-image
• increasing your pressure capacity by slowly and directly increasing the pressure.
• learn to deal with your complaints in a different way
  

The therapy can consist of:

• movement therapy: exercises, where the experiencing of the movement and the awareness of the relationship between the body and the emotion are paramount
• Relaxation therapy: experiencing the difference between tension and relaxation and learning relaxation
• Breathing therapy: experiencing and influencing the link between breathing, emotion and behaviour
• communicative massage, aimed at the conscious handling and experience of physical contact
• behavioural therapy, where insight into the complaints and factors that impede healing and the learning of problem-solving skills are central.
  

Reimbursement: if you are additionally insured for physiotherapy, psychosomatic therapy is fully reimbursed.