We are all accustomed to treating illnesses as something very bad. There are many reasons for this: diseases prevent us from carrying out some plans, cause discomfort, pain, suffering. Psychosomatics is a direction in medicine and psychology that studies how feelings and experiences affect a person’s physical health and offers to look at diseases from the other side. German psychoanalyst Alexander Mitscherlich describes the development of psychosomatic diseases as a sequence of activation of the protective forces of the psyche. In short, it’s like this: Our lives are lived according to psychosocial laws. This is about the natural course of life, where developmental tasks arise and a person copes with them. The cycle here is like this: problem - solution. If this does not happen, then protective mechanisms are activated. The first echelon of defense. Psychoprotective (adaptive), when a task becomes a problem. We cannot cope at the level of actions, the psyche begins to protect us from unpleasant feelings and we use such psychological defenses as forgetfulness, distortion, devaluation, avoidance, etc. This is normal and we all use them as long as there is no severe stress or conflict (possibly internal). If a lot of traumatic information has accumulated, then psychological discomfort becomes obvious and can develop into depression, obsessive thoughts, asthenia, etc. If the cause is not eliminated, then the second echelon of defense is activated. Psychosomatic. This is where the problem becomes a symptom. When the psyche cannot cope with suffering, the body turns on and we feel relief, because the pain has moved to the bodily level and we can do something about it (pills, lotions, wallowing in pastels, receiving care). Children unconsciously use this method very often if their needs are not heard by adults. For example, they say that they do not want to go to school if they were not heard and helped to understand the situation, the temperature comes from somewhere - and, both, the goal is achieved. What is the danger of psychosomatic defense? It can gain a foothold. If this does not work, then the Third Echelon of Defense is activated. Self-destruction. This is the last level of defense. When a situation is so painful and unbearable, a person chooses not to live in it. This could be addiction, suicidal acts, acute illnesses with a risk to life, etc. It's a way to cope with something so difficult that death may seem like a way out..