Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS are debilitating conditions and patients can feel misunderstood and abandoned, in addition to a wide range of physical and mental symptoms.
Several psychological and biological theories have been proposed as ways to explain why the conditions occur, but there is no agreement over whether any one theory is true.
Now Emeritus Professor
Professor Michael Hyland , from the University of Plymouth’s
School of Psychology , has suggested a new explanation – sensation-suppression theory.
Writing in the journal Exploration of Neuroprotective Therapy, he says it incorporates ideas from biology, psychology and artificial intelligence adding that although the theory is complex, the basic idea is simple: if you don’t listen to what your body is telling you, your body shouts louder.
The essence of it is that people are prevented from listening to their bodies because of work, caring and other obligations that require them to keep going despite their body telling them to stop.
His hope is that by enabling patients to better understand their condition and work out for themselves how best to recover, the theory will unlock a process of discovery and recovery.
Professor Michael Hyland
