The Mind and Body Connection: Somatic Stress and the First Responder
Somatization. A word that most people have not heard of, but almost everyone has experienced. Ever been on a first date and felt “butterflies in your stomach”? How about getting off a scary ride and going temporarily “weak in the knees”? Or getting a headache or stomachache right before a big presentation? That’s somatization. Webster’s Dictionary defines it as, “conversion of a mental state into physical symptoms”. It is very common and usually happens when a person is in a