The Mind-Body Connection: Chronic Pain & Health
Chronic or tension-related pain
Medically unexplained physical symptoms
Sleep problems
Gut issues related to stress or anxiety
When emotional stress, unresolved trauma, or nervous system dysregulation persists over time, our bodies frequently speak what our minds cannot put into words. Physical suffering is rarely just physical.
At Corewell, lead clinical psychologist Dr Farzin Shaykhi specialises in treating chronic pain, medically unexplained physical symptoms, and somatic concerns. From our modern clinic space in Mitcham, we support individuals across Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, including Mitcham, Croydon, Doncaster, Ringwood North and Dandenong and more to calm an overactive nervous system, safely process physical distress, and reclaim physical vitality.
Understanding Psychosomatic Symptoms & Tension-Related Pain
To experience a psychosomatic symptom does not mean the pain is “all in your head”. The physical pain, muscle bracing, and inflammation you feel are completely real. Instead, a psychosomatic or somatic symptom description means that psychological stress, anxiety, or emotional blocks are directly driving, amplifying, or maintaining those physical sensations in the body.
Dr Farzin assists adults navigating a wide array of chronic mind-body struggles, including:
- Chronic & Tension-Related Pain: Persistent back pain, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and tension headaches caused by subconscious muscular bracing.
- Stress-Triggered Gut Issues: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), chronic nausea, and abdominal tension tied intimately to the brain-gut axis.
- Sleep Problems & Insomnia: Difficulty falling or staying asleep due to cognitive overarousal and a nervous system stuck in a “fight-or-flight” state.
- Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms (MUPS): Persistent chest pressure, somatic dizziness, or nerve tingling that medical specialists have cleared of structural disease but still cause significant distress.
Our Specialised Mind-Body & Somatic Assessments
Before beginning target therapy, it is crucial to understand exactly how your unique nervous system processes stress and pain. At Corewell, we use specific psychometric and functional screening protocols to map your mind-body connection:
Somatic & Symptom Amplification Screening
We utilise standardised clinical inventories to measure the severity of your somatic symptoms and determine how much emotional anxiety or hypervigilance is accidentally “amplifying” the pain signals travelling to your brain.
Sleep & Circadian Profile Appraisals
Through comprehensive sleep hygiene and behavioural diaries, we isolate psychological insomnia triggers from physiological sleep disruptions.
Vagal Tone & Autonomic Nervous System Profiling
As part of our clinical intake, we map out your emotional defensive systems to identify whether your chronic pain is linked to hidden trauma-loop patterns, repressed anger, or attachment-related stress.
What People Are Asking
“Why does my stomach flare up every Sunday night before the workweek starts?”
Our Answer: This points directly to the brain-gut axis. Anticipatory work stress activates your sympathetic nervous system, altering gut motility and triggering immediate digestive distress.
“Can unresolved childhood trauma cause chronic back pain and fibromyalgia in adulthood?”
Our Answer: Yes. Chronic childhood stress primes the nervous system to remain perpetually hyper-vigilant. Over decades, this constant physiological chemical bath manifests as systemic muscle pain and nerve sensitivity.
Evidence-Based Therapies for Lasting Physical Relief
Dr Farzin utilises a sophisticated blend of active, emotion-focused, and somatic therapies designed to cross the bridge between mind and muscle:
- ISTDP (Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy): To safely unlock and process the deep, hidden emotional blocks and unexpressed frustrations that cause chronic physical tension and gut conditions.
- Somatic & Emotion Regulation Techniques: Teaching your brain to lower its threat response, reducing involuntary muscle bracing and soothing the vagus nerve.
- CBT for Chronic Pain & Insomnia (CBT-I): Rewiring the unhelpful lifestyle habits, fear of movement, and sleep anxiety thoughts that keep pain cycles spinning.
A Clinical Approach to Personal Growth
Our bodies often speak what our minds cannot put into words. We help clients manage physical symptoms, such as gut issues, sleep problems, and tension, that are rooted in or exacerbated by emotional stress.
You don’t have to navigate these challenges alone. Whether you are looking for an Anxiety Psychologist in Melbourne or Trauma Therapy in Ringwood, Corewell is here to guide you.
