Psychosomatics of nausea
Nausea is common and usually goes away on its own. It can come from infections, food poisoning, heartburn, migraine, pregnancy, medicines and anxiety. If you feel sick for several days or it keeps coming back, see a GP. If sudden nausea comes with pain or tightness in the chest and breathlessness, call an ambulance (103). The Ladder method adds questions about what you find hard to "digest".
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When to see a doctor
Start with a GP: they will ask when and with what the nausea is linked and order tests. The NHS advises seeing a doctor if you feel sick for several days or it keeps coming back. If your period is late, think about pregnancy and take a test.
In the Ladder method
In the Ladder method nausea is not explained by "I do not accept my life", and it is not your fault that you feel sick. It has many bodily causes, and they must be ruled out first. But the NHS names anxiety among the causes of nausea, so questions for yourself make sense here.
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In psychosomatics nausea is linked with the image of what is hard to "digest" and accept: an event, a conversation, a decision. The body reacts as it does to food that has gone off. This is an image, not a cause of the illness, and it does not replace an examination.
On the ladder this shows up as steps like "I do not know what to do with this" and "I have to agree". You can work through them while a doctor looks for the cause.
These are questions for reflection, not an explanation of what causes the condition and not a treatment.
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How it shows up
Book a doctor’s appointment if you notice:
- A feeling that you are about to be sick
- Extra saliva, weakness, cold sweat
- Nausea with dizziness
- Nausea after eating, with heartburn or bloating
- Nausea in the morning or on anxious days
- Nausea that returns for weeks
What medicine knows
Nausea is a common feeling that you are about to be sick, and it usually passes on its own (NHS). There are many causes, and other symptoms help to find them: with diarrhoea and vomiting it is more often a virus or food poisoning, with a headache and a temperature an infection, with heartburn and bloating after eating acid reflux, with sensitivity to light a migraine, with dizziness an inner ear problem.
You can feel sick in pregnancy (morning sickness), from motion sickness, anxiety, after alcohol, from some medicines or after surgery (NHS). MedlinePlus advises contacting a doctor at once if vomiting lasts more than 24 hours, there is blood in the vomit, severe stomach pain, a severe headache with a stiff neck, or signs of dehydration.
What helps: fresh air, distracting yourself, sipping a cold drink, ginger or peppermint tea, eating smaller meals more often. It is better to avoid greasy, hot and strong-smelling food, not to eat too fast, not to lie down right after eating and not to wear clothes that are tight around the waist (NHS).
If you feel sick for several days or it keeps coming back, you need a doctor: they look for the cause and, if needed, prescribe anti-sickness medicine.
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Frequently asked questions
Can nerves make you feel sick?
Yes. The NHS names anxiety among the causes of nausea. But a doctor first rules out bodily causes: infection, the stomach, pregnancy, medicines. If you feel sick for several days or again and again, see a GP.
What does nausea mean in psychosomatics?
There is no proven "meaning" of nausea. In the Ladder method it is a reason to ask yourself what you find hard to "digest" and accept right now. It is a question for yourself, not a diagnosis.
What can I do to make nausea pass faster?
The NHS advises fresh air, distracting yourself, sipping a cold drink, ginger or peppermint tea, eating smaller meals more often, and avoiding greasy and strong-smelling food. If it does not pass in a few days, see a doctor.
Related topics
Psychosomatics does not replace tests and treatment. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis.