The Silent Body: Somatic Expressions of Psychological Conflict

Abstract

Human psychological conflict frequently “speaks” through the body in silence, producing somatic expressions that span from pain and tension to medically unexplained physical symptoms. This interdisciplinary review examines the psychobiological, cognitive, and sociocultural mechanisms underlying somatic expressions of psychological conflict and integrates theoretical and empirical literature from neuroscience, clinical psychology, and psychosomatic medicine. Evidence suggests that deficits in emotional awareness and regulation are associated with heightened somatic symptom burden, and that interoceptive and autonomic processing mechanisms function as the bridge between psychological states and somatic experience. We also explore how early psychoanalytic and contemporary psychosomatic theories conceptualize somatic expressions as manifestations of unresolved conflict and defense processes, and why functional somatic syndromes are often linked with trauma histories. The review highlights how cultural factors shape somatic symptom expression and outlines clinical implications for assessment and intervention. We conclude that somatic symptoms are not merely epiphenomena of psychological conflict but are complex, embodied expressions of affective and cognitive dynamics, demanding integrated approaches in research and practice to understand and treat the silent body.