Your body is telling you

Psychosomatics of migraine

Migraine is not just a bad headache but a condition of its own: throbbing pain, often on one side, nausea, and sensitivity to light and sound. A neurologist diagnoses it from your description of the attacks, and a doctor treats it, not psychosomatics. If the pain starts suddenly and is the worst of your life, or you lose speech or vision with it, call 103. The Ladder method adds questions about the tension you carry and never let go of.

Aizhan LiAuthor of the Ladder method
Updated 23 October 2026

When to see a doctor

Book a doctor’s appointment if you notice:

Throbbing pain, often on one side of the head
Nausea or vomiting during an attack
Light and sounds are unbearable and you want to lie down in a quiet, dark room
Zigzags, flashes or numbness before the pain (aura)
Attacks tied to your period, lack of sleep or stress
You need painkillers more than two days a week

If the pain started suddenly and is the worst of your life, you lose speech or vision, an arm or your face goes weak, or you have a high fever with a stiff neck, confusion or a seizure, call 103. You also need a doctor urgently if an aura lasts longer than an hour, an attack lasts longer than 72 hours, a severe headache starts for the first time after 50, or it appears during pregnancy.

A neurologist or general practitioner diagnoses migraine from your description of the attacks. The protocol advises keeping a headache diary: write down the date, how strong the pain was, what came before it and which pills you took.

What medicine knows

Migraine is a condition of its own, not just a bad headache. The clinical protocol of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Health (2023) describes it as an episodic disorder whose main sign is a severe headache, usually with nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.

An attack lasts from 4 hours to 3 days. The pain is usually throbbing and on one side of the head, and it gets worse with ordinary activity such as walking or climbing stairs. Some people get an aura before the pain: zigzags and flashes in front of the eyes, numbness, trouble speaking. According to the NHS, an aura should not last longer than an hour.

A doctor diagnoses migraine from the description of your attacks. The protocol calls the diagnosis “purely clinical”: it rests on the description of the attacks and the absence of “red flags,” signs that mean another cause of the pain must be looked for.

The protocol notes that migraine most often starts between the ages of 10 and 30 and mostly affects women. It lists stress, menstruation, lack of sleep, low blood sugar, intense physical effort, and also cheese, chocolate and red wine among the triggers. The NHS says attacks just before or during a period, menstrual migraines, are usually longer and more severe than others, and that in women migraine often gets better after menopause.

The protocol also warns about painkillers: take them no more than two days a week and no more than eight days a month, otherwise the headache can become almost constant. A doctor chooses the medicines.

Sources

In the Ladder method

In the Ladder method, migraine becomes a reason to look at the tension you carry and never let go of. It is not an explanation of why the attacks happen but a question to yourself: where are you used to putting up with things until it hits you?

A familiar picture: while you can keep walking, you keep walking, and you only stop when your head is splitting and you have to lie down in a dark room. Doctors name stress and lack of sleep as common triggers, so asking where you don’t allow yourself to rest is useful with any diagnosis.

On the ladder this looks like steps made of other people’s words: “pull yourself together,” “don’t fall apart,” “you’re the strong one.” You can look at them one by one. Treatment and choosing medicines stay with the neurologist.

These are questions for reflection, not an explanation of what causes the condition and not a treatment.

Quick check: what may be behind it

Where in your life do you put up with things until it hits you?
Whose “pull yourself together” and “don’t fall apart” do you still hear?
What would happen if you stopped before your head started to hurt?

Frequently asked questions

Can migraine come from stress?

The protocol of the Kazakhstan Ministry of Health names stress as one of the triggers of an attack, along with menstruation, lack of sleep, low blood sugar and intense effort. But migraine is a condition of its own, and you can’t cure it by talking about feelings. A doctor chooses the treatment.

What does migraine mean in psychosomatics?

Migraine has no proven “meaning.” In the Ladder method it becomes a reason to look at the tension you carry and never let go of, and at the inner “pull yourself together” and “don’t fall apart.” These are questions to yourself, not an explanation of the attacks.

Why is migraine linked to periods?

The NHS says attacks just before or during a period, menstrual migraines, are usually longer and more severe than others. If migraine comes back every cycle, tell a neurologist and a gynecologist: they need to know how the attacks follow your cycle. A diary of attacks with the dates of your periods will help both you and your doctor.

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