Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A cry unheard: Sudden reductions in blood pressure while talking about feelings of hopelessness and helplessness

  • Published:
Integrative Physiological and Behavioral Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper describes sudden extreme drops in blood pressure in both experimental and clinical situations when a person is talking about or describing situations of hopelessness and helplessness. These changes are discussed in the context of historical perspectives about the cardiovascular system. A new perspective is introduced, one in which these blood pressure changes are seen as part of an unheard cry for understanding. It is hypothesized that such changes do not occur in response to a person’s attempts to communicate a sense of hopelessness, but rather are the biological foundations of the hopelessness itself. Viewed from such a context an entirely new therapeutic approach is outlined regarding the treatment of patients suffering from a wide variety of psychosomatic as well as psychological disturbances.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alexander, F. (1939). Psychoanalytic study of a case of essential hypertension.Psychosomatic Medicine 1, 139–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, F. (1950).Psychosomatic medicine: Its principles and applications. New York: W.W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernard, C. (1926).An introduction to the study of experimental medicine. New York: MacMillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cannon, W.B. (1929).Bodily changes in pain, hunger, fear and rage. New York: Appleton-Century-Croft.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darwin, C. (1934).Origin of the species New York: E.P. Dutton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darwin, C. (1955).The expression of emotions in man and animals. New York: Philosophical Library.

    Google Scholar 

  • Descartes, R. (1929)The philosophical works of descartes (E. Haldane & G.R.T. Ross tras.) (Vols 1 & 2). London: Cambridge Univ. Press. (Original work published in 1637).

    Google Scholar 

  • Engel, G.L. (1968). A life setting conducive to illness.Annals of Internal Medicine 69, 293–300.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Engel, G.L. (1971). Sudden and rapid death during psychological stress.Annals of Internal Medicine 74, 771–782.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Freed, C., Thomas, S.A., Lynch, J.J., Stein, R., & Friedman, E. (in press). Blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rhythm changes in patients with heart disease while talking.Heart Lung.

  • Freedman, M.B. & Sweet, B.S. (1954). Some specific features of group psychotherapy and their implications for selected patients.International Journal of Group Psychotherapy 4, 355–368.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, E., Katcher, A.H., Thomas, S.A., Lynch, J.J., & Messent, P. (1983). Social interaction and blood pressure: Influences of animal companions.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 171, 461–465.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, E., Thomas, S.A., Kulick-Ciuffo, D., Lynch, J.J., & Suginohara, M. (1982). The effects of normal and rapid speech on blood pressure.Psychosomatic Medicine, 44, 545–552.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gantt, W.H. (1944).The experimental basis for neurotic behavior, New York: Hoeber.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garma, A. (1953). Internalized mother as harmful food in peptic ulcer patients.International Journal of Psychoanalysis 34, 102.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grace, W.J. & Graham, D.T. (1952). Relationship of specific attitudes and emotions to certain bodily diseases.Psychosomatic Medicine 14, 243.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gunn, C.G., Wolf, S., Block, R.T., & Person, R.J. (1972). Psychophysiology of the cardiovascular system. In N.S. Greenfield & R.A. Sternbache, (Eds.),Handbook of Psychophysiology New York: Rhinehart & Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guyton, A. (1980).Arterial pressure and hypertension. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, P.S., Thomas, A.A., Friedman, E., Sappington, E., & Lynch, J.J. (1982). Measurement of neonatal blood pressure. A new methodology.Psychology, 19, 231–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsiao, J., Lynch, J.J., Foreman, P.J., & Gross, H.S. (in press). Cardiovascular responses to speaking in schizophrenics.Journal Psychiatric Research.

  • Linden, W. (1987). A microanalysis of autonomic activity during human speech.Psychosomatic Medicine 49, 562–578.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lindemann, E. (1945). Psychiatric problems in conservative treatment of ulcerative colitis.Archives of Neurology 53, 322–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Long, J.M., Lynch, J.J., Machiran, N., Thomas, S.A., & Malinow, K. (1982). The effects of status on blood pressure during verbal communication.Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 5, 165–172.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J.J. (1977).The broken heart: The medical consequences of loneliness. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J.J. (1985).The language of the heart: The human body in dialogue. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J.J., Long, J.M., Thomas, S.A., Malinow, K., & Katcher, A. (1981). The effects of talking on the blood pressure of hypertensive and normotensive individuals.Psychosomatic Medicine, 43, 25–33.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J.J., Paskewitz, D.A., Gimbel, K., & Thomas, S.A. (1977). Psychological aspects of cardiac arrhythmia.American Heart Journal, 93, 645–657.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J.J. & Rosch, P. (1990). The heart of dialogue: Human communication and cardiovascular health. In H. Balner (Ed.),A new medical model: A challenge for biomedicine. Amsterdam: Swets & Zeitlinger

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J.J., & Thomas, S.A. (1985). Controlling blood pressure. In M. Razin & associates (Eds.),Helping cardiac patients: Behavioral and psychotherapeutic approaches. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J.J., Thomas, S.A., Long, J.M., Malinow, K., Chickadonz, G., & Katcher, A. (1982). Blood pressure changes while talking.Journal of Medical Science, 18, 575–579.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J.J., Thomas, S.A., Long, J.M., Malinow, JK., Chikadonz, G. & Katcher. (1980). Human speech and blood pressure.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 168, 526–534.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, J.J., Thomas, S.A., Paskewitz, D.A., Malinow, K.L., & Long, J.M. (1982). Interpersonal aspects of blood pressure control.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 170 (2), 143–153.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Malinow, K., Lynch, J.J., Foreman, P.J., Friedman, E., & Thomas, S.A. (1986). Blood pressure increases while signing in a deaf population.Psychosomatic Medicine, 48, 95–101.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moses, L., Daniels, G., & Nickerson, J. (1956). Psychogenic factors in essential hypertension.Psychosomatic Medicine 18, 471–485.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Naring. G. DeMey, H., & Schaap, C. (1988). Blood pressure response during verbal interaction: Review and prospect.Curr. Psychol Res Rev., 7, 187–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pavlov, I.P. (1941).Lectures on conditioned reflex: Twenty five years of objective study of the higher activity of animals, (Vols 1 & 2). (W.H. Gantt, trans.) New York: International Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramsey, M. (1979). Non-invasive automatic determination of mean arterial pressure.Med Biol Eng Comp, 17, 11–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruesch, J. (1948). The infantile personality: The core problem of psychosomatic medicine.Psychosomatic Medicine, 10, 134–144.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sifneos, P.E. (1973). The prevalence of alexithymic characteristics in psychosomatic patients.Psychotherapeutics and Psychosomatics, 22, 255–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silverberg, D. & Rosenfield, J. (1980). The effect of quiet conversation on the blood pressure of hypertensive patients.Israeli Journal of Medical Science, 16, 41–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tardy, C.H., Thompson, W.R., & Allen, M.T. (1989). Cardiovascular responses during speech: Does social support mediate the effects of talking on blood pressure?J. of Language and Social Psychology, 8, 3–4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, S.A., Lynch, J.J., & Mills, M.E. (1975). Psychosocial influences heart rhythm in coronary care unit.Heart Lung, 4, 746–750.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, S.A., Friedman, E., Lynch, J.J., Noctor, M., Sappington, E., & Gross, H. (1982). Patients’ cardiac responses to nursing interviews in a CCU.Dimens Crit Care Nurs, 1, 198–205.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, S.A., Friedman, E., Lottes, L.S., Gresty, S., Miller, C., & Lynch, J.J. (1984). Changes in nurses’ blood pressure and heart rate while communicating.Res. in Nurs. and Heal., 7, 119–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas, S.A., Lynch, J.J., Friedman, E., Suginohara, M., Hall, S., & Peterson, C. (1984). Blood pressure and heart rate changes in children when they read aloud in school.Publ. Health Rep., 99, 77–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yelderman, M. & Ream, A.P. (1969). Indirect measurement of mean arterial blood pressure in the anesthetized patient.Anesthes, 50, 253–256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiner, H. (1979).Psychobiology of essential hypertension. New York: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wimbush, F.B., Thomas, S.A., Friedman, E., Sappington, E., & Lynch, J.J. (1986). Cardiovascular response to cardiac catheterization.Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 5, 244–250.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, S. (1958). Cardiovascular reactions to symbolic stimuli.Circulation, 18, 287–292.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, S. (1965).The stomach. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, S. (1969). Psychosocial forces in myocardial infarction and sudden death.Circulation, 34, 74–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, S., Cardon, P.V., Shepard, E.M., & Wolff, H. (1955).Life stress and essential hypertension. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkens.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Life Care Health Foundation, 606 Baltimore Avenue, Suite 200, 21204, Towson, MD

    James J. Lynch

  2. Loyola College, USA

    Kathleen E. Lynch

  3. Brooklyn College, USA

    Erica Friedmann

Authors
  1. James J. Lynch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kathleen E. Lynch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Erica Friedmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lynch, J.J., Lynch, K.E. & Friedmann, E. A cry unheard: Sudden reductions in blood pressure while talking about feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Integr. psych. behav. 27, 151–169 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02698504

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02698504

Keywords

Search

Navigation