Positive Health Online

Abstract

LINDBERG and colleagues, National Institute for Psychosocial Factors and Health, Stockholm, Sweden applied the clinical use of psychoneuroimmunological approaches to rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: 15 patients with RA were treated with analytical insight therapy for 60-90 minutes per week throughout a period of 10 months to 4.5 years (median period 3.3 years).

Background

Methodology

Results

Of the 15 patients, 6 patients demonstrated great and largely continuous improvement, both psychological and physical, throughout the psychotherapy treatment and often for a long time thereafter. In another 5 patients, improvements in psychological state and joint disease occurred over a period of 1-2 years. Later, when the emotional channels to childhood traumas had been opened, these 5 patients relapsed and the course of their disease became more variable. In 4 other cases, the associations between psychological state and the course of joint disease were more varied throughout the period of psychotherapy. In this studied group, the correlation between psychological state and the course of rheumatic disease was highly significant.

Conclusion

The probability of the study's outcome being due to chance alone is considered to be very small, especially taking into account the fact that RA is a chronic progressive disease.

References

Lindberg NE et al. Psychotherapy in rheumatoid arthritis - a parallel process study of psychic state and course of theumatic disease. Z Rheumatol 55(1): 28-39. Jan-Feb 1996 .