can symptoms be self induced?

[Worried 24/7]

Just curious about something...

Do you think it's possible to develop symptoms from reading about them? Like, you're so terrified that you physically manifest symptoms? Has this happened to anyone?

[Katie_cupcakes]

That's a question I have asked a lot as well. I would say yes it is possible.

[MRS STRESS ED]

Simple answer is yes its an illness that are minds control ,and as we all no it makes us think we have got awful things like brain tumors, MS ,etc if you concentrate on a part of your body for long enough you will become aware of it ,my thearapist made me focus on apart of my body for awhile the more I focused the more I felt it so that would indicate to me that yes we do induce symptoms xx

[Fishmanpa]

Absolutely! Just a short while ago there was a post about fearing appendicitis and withing a few days there were three others worried about it. I believe it was Skippy who posted a thread about similar thing. Check it out...

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=139756&highlight=foot+tingling

Positive thoughts

[Worried 24/7]

Sometimes I wonder if my leg pains are a result of reading that leg pains was a symptom of something I read once and then I started wondering if other things were as well.

[cattia]

Absolutely, 100% yes! Many times in the past when I have been worrying about one illness or another, I habe thought to myself 'well it's OK, at least I don't have xyz symptom', only to then develop it a few days later! I have also found my symptoms can shift according to what illness I am worrying about. It shows how powerful the mind is; if we can mentally create symptoms and illnesses then it stands to reason that we can also mentally cure them.

[Katie_cupcakes]

I agree with cattia,
I do the exact same thing thinking 'oh well I can't have such and such because I don't have these symtpoms' and then the next morning...I'll have those symptoms!!!
It baffles me how the imagination can supposedly cause real, physical, actual, painful symptoms...why can't my mind be this powerful in exams..or work? I could be a rocket scientist by now.
But its also so hard to believe that it is imagined and not real. Its also difficult to separate the real symptoms from the imagined.

[Worried 24/7]

Yeah, I tried doing that visualizing the pain floating away thing last night but it didn't really work....maybe I should go get hypnotized and they can make me not notice it. Lol

---------- Post added at 20:24 ---------- Previous post was at 18:57 ----------

I've also wondered what symptoms can manifest physically from stress and keeping feelingsbottled up inside. Or guilt from wrong doings in the past that you never talked about if they are weighing on your mind.