Vertigo, a way to escape

Vertigo is a symptom that a growing number of people present today. In principle, it is defined as a feeling of loss of balance and/or the perception that “everything is spinning.” According to a study published in the journal “Mind and Brain” (1), In up to a third of people, vertigo is not due to organic reasons, but psychological ones.. At the same time, a neuropsychology study carried out by M. Dietrich (2) revealed that between 30 and 40% of vertigo cases are of mental origin.

People who suffer from non-organic vertigo define it in several ways. They say that it is a cluster of sensations, among which are: dizziness, fear, insecurity, dullness, daze, feeling of fainting or unreality, weakness, fatigue, increased palpitations, desire to urinate and the feeling that they are going inside from a boat or walk on cotton wool.

This is not a constant situation, but occurs in outbreaks or “attacks”, generally triggered or accentuated by some specific circumstance. That circumstance can be a crowd of people, a shiny floor or one with drawings of geometric figures, a highway, an inclined space and many more. Because vertigo attacks are unpredictable, this condition is highly disabling for people, who often end up sheltering in place in their homes and refuse to go out.

This is psychogenic or non-organic vertigo

There seems to be agreement among specialists that Vertigo that is not derived from an organic disease is produced by a state of anxiety. What there is no agreement on is how to interpret this anxiety and, therefore, the best way to treat it. In any case, although there are no exact figures, it is known that this symptom usually appears after a stress crisis, derived from losses, separations, illness of someone close or high work pressure.

Sometimes vertigo is a component of panic attacks. On other occasions it is an independent symptom that can cause panic or become the source of new symptoms such as headaches or frequent nausea. What is common, in all cases, is the fact that diagnostic studies do not reveal any ear or brain disease that would justify these sensations.

Vertigo attacks can be mild or very severe. They do not seem to follow a certain pattern and this torments those who experience them more, because they never know when they will occur. They usually alter a person’s life to varying degrees.since the fear of fainting, “losing control” or “falling” at any moment remains.

An interpretation of vertigo

While psychiatry and psychology associate vertigo exclusively with depression and stress, psychoanalysis considers it a symbolic representation of a mental state. Alfred Adler (3) studied this symptom in detail and came to the conclusion that What it expresses is a hidden desire to evade some situation. It is a “detour” and, for that reason, it manifests itself as a perception that “everything is going in circles.”

Adler points out that the symptom arises from an external demand, which the person experiences as “excessive” for their own abilities.. This demand can be work-related, family-related, sexual, emotional or of any kind. The point is that the person is not aware of all this. For that reason, he develops psychogenic vertigo.

Deep down, the person is afraid of “falling”, that is, of making it evident that he cannot respond to external demand.. This would diminish his prestige and that is why he perceives it as a “fall.” This situation arises from a feeling of unconscious inferiority.

Internally the person feels that he is not capable, but this is not necessarily true. He may be capable, and very capable, but the doubts are stronger. The most complicated thing is that he does not recognize this insecurity and that makes the whole situation manifest as vertigo.

In particular, people with psychogenic vertigo fear losing control when they are in public or when they are completely alone.. They fear being left in a situation of extreme vulnerability. For Adler, the way out is to assume what they are fleeing from, but it is difficult for the person to achieve it on their own. It is advisable to request the help of a professional and/or participate in a therapeutic laughter group.

(1) Tschan & J. Wiltink. Vertigo. In Mente y Cerebro Magazine, no. 55, 2012, Barcelona (76-79)

(2) Dieterich M, Eckhardt-Henn A. Neurological and somatoform vertigo syndromes. 2004 ;75(3):281-302

(3) Alfred Adler. (1959). The neurotic character. Buenos Aires: Paidós

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