From traumatic attachment to somatization disorder.

OBJECTIVE

This paper emphasizes attachment trauma as an important etiological factor in somatization disorder and psychoanalytic psychotherapy as an effective treatment.

METHOD: Weekly psychotherapy with an 18 year old with somatization disorder, using the Conversational Model, is described.

CONCLUSION

Early cumulative trauma has far-reaching health consequences. Brief psychotherapy produces symptom relief, and long-term analytic therapy is necessary for sustained improvement.