Psychosomatic Pathways: Rethinking Illness Beyond the Mind–Body Divide

Abstract

The traditional division between mind and body in medicine has historically obscured the complex mechanisms that link psychological factors with physical illness. Psychosomatic medicine, positioned at the interface of psychology, physiology, and clinical medicine, argues that bodily health and disease are shaped by dynamic interactions across neural, endocrine, immune, and psychosocial systems. Drawing on interdisciplinary research from neuroscience, psych neuroendocrinology, immunology, and clinical practice, this review re-examines the conceptual and empirical foundations of psychosomatic pathways, illustrating how psychological states such as stress, emotion regulation, and cognitive processes influence bodily function and disease progression. We discuss historical shifts away from mind–body dualism toward biopsychosocial models of illness, review neural and biochemical mechanisms that mediate psychosomatic interactions, and explore clinical conditions where psychosomatic pathways are evident. We also highlight contemporary perspectives on interoception and brain–body signalling, as well as implications for integrated patient care. By moving beyond a strict mind–body divide, this review advocates for reconceptualizing illness as emerging from continuous brain–body dialogue, with profound implications for research, education, and clinical practice.