Conflict and somatization: psychoanalytic treatment of the psychophysiologic response in the digestive tract

Somatization of intrapsychic conflicts, as manifested in the mouth, the stomach, the small intestine, the large bowel, and the anus, is described in this long-term study of the psychoanalytic treatment of three patients with peptic ulcer, regional ileitis, and ulcerative colitis respectively. The theoretical and practical aspects of treatment are considered, and the efficacy of and indications for psychoanalysis as the treatment of choice are discussed.