Emotional Connection to Dis-Ease

Have you ever wondered why if two or more people were exposed to the same environment or conditions, some would not get sick? How about, why a certain genetic disorder might not affect certain members of a family although, they may be at high risk? 

The answer to these questions are not straightforward but it is generally understood that the emotional and mental disposition of the individual has something to do with it. In other words, the way they think about themselves and their circumstances in addition to their emotional response has a lot to do with whether or not they become ill and how quickly they recover, if they do. 

When patients come in to work on their mental and emotional healing, they usually begin notice how they "feel" better physically e.g. reduction in headaches or nausea. This is often the result of them doing specific processes aimed at reducing their emotional and mental conflict. 

Below is a partial list of dis-eases taken from Louis Hay's book, "Heal Your Body", their emotional/mental counterpart that contribute to the physical diseases that we may experience. Please, keep in mind that our thoughts and feelings can be and often are unconscious which is why special processes are used to help patients go deeper to release the unhealthy emotions and faulty thoughts that are feeding their illness.  


Emotions and Disease

Abdominal Cramps: FEAR. Stopping the process. 

Abscess: Fermenting thoughts over hurts, slight, and revenge.


Aches: Longing for love. Longing to be held.

Acne: Not accepting the self. Dislike of the self.


Addison's Disease (see: Adrenal Problems): Severe emotional malnutrition. Anger at the self. 

Adenoids: Family friction, arguments. Child feeling unwelcome or in the way.

Adrenal Problems (See: Addison's Disease, Cushing's Disease): Defeatism. No longer caring for the self. Anxiety. 

Aging Problems: Social beliefs. Old thinking. Fear of being one's self. Rejection of the now. 

AIDS: Feeling defenseless and hopeless. Nobody cares. A strong belief in not being good enough. Denial of the self. Sexual guilt.

Alcoholism: "What's the use" Feeling of futility, guilt, inadequacy. Self-rejection. 

Allergies (see: Hay Fever): What are you allergic to? Denying your own power.

Alzheimer's Disease (see: Dementia, Senility):  Refusal to deal with the world as it is. Hopelessness and helplessness, Anger.

Amenorrhea (see: female problems, menstrual problems): Not wanting to be a woman. Dislike of the self. 

Amnesia: Fear. Running from life. Inability to stand up for the self. 

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease): Unwillingness to accept self-worth. Denial of success. 

Anemia: "Yes-but" attitude. Lack of joy,. Fear of life. Not feeling good enough.

Ankles: Inflexibility and guilt. Ankles represent that ability to receive pleasure. 

Anorectal Bleeding (Hematochezia): Anger and frustration.

Anorexia (see: appetite, loss of): Denying the self life. Extreme fear, self-hatred, and rejection.

Anus (see: hemorrhoids): Release point, dumping ground.

         -Abscess: Anger in relation to what you don't want to release. 

         -Bleeding (see: anorectal bleeding)

         -Fistula: Incomplete releasing of old trash. Holding on to garbage of the past. 

         -Itching (pruritus Ani): Guilt over the past. Remorse. 

         -Pain: Guilt. Desire for punishment. Not feeling good enough.

Anxiety:  Not trusting the flow and process of life. 

Apathy: Resistance of feeling. Deadening of the self. Fear.

Appendicitis: Fear. Fear of life. Blocking the flow of good. 


         -Excessive: Fear. Needing protection. Judging the emotions.

         -Loss of (see: anorexia): Fear. Protecting the self. Not trusting life. 

Arms: Represents the capacity and ability to hold the experiences of life. 

Arteries: Carry the joy of life. 

Arteriosclerosis: Resistance, tension. Hardened narrow-mindedness. Refusing to see good. 


Arthritis (see: joints)

Asphyxiating Attacks (See: breathing problems, hyperventilation): Fear. Not trusting the process of life. Getting stuck in childhood. 

Asthma: Smother love. Inability to breathe for oneself. Feeling stifled. Suppressed crying.

         -Babies and children: Fear of life. Not wanting to be here. 

Athletes foot: Frustration at being accepted. Inability to move forward with ease. 

Back: Represents the support of life. 

         -Back Problems (see: Spinal Misalignments: Special Section, Chart of Effects of Spinal Misalignments)

         -Lower: Fear of money. Lack of financial support.

         -Middle: Guilt. Stuck in all that stuff back there.

         -Upper: Lack of emotional support. Feeling unloved; holding back love. 

Bad Breathe (see: Halitosis): Anger and revenge thoughts. Experiences backing up.

Balance, Loss of: Scattered thinking. Not centered. 

Baldness: Fear. Tension. Trying to control everything. Not trusting the process of life. 

Bedwetting (Enuresis): Fear of parent, usually the father. 

Belching: Fear. Gulping life too quickly. 

Bells' Palsy (see: Palsy Paralysis): Extreme control over anger. Unwillingness to express feelings.

Birth: Represents the entering of this segment of the movie of life. 

         -Defects: Karmic. you selected to come that way. We choose our parents and our children. Unfinished business. 

Bites: Fear. Open to every slight.

        -Animal: Anger turned inward. A need for punishment.

        -Bug: Guilt over small things. 

Blackheads: Small outbursts of anger.

Bladder Problems (Cystitis): Anxiety. Holding on to old ideas. Fear of letting go. Being pissed off. 

Bleeding: Joy running out Anger. But where?

Bleeding Gums: Lack of joy in the decision made in life. 

Blisters: Resistance. Lack of emotional protection. 

Blood: Represents joy in the body, flowing freely. 

Blood Pressure: 

        -High (hypertension): Long-standing emotional problem not solved. 

        -Low: Lack of love as a child. Defeatism. "What's the use? It won't work anyway."

Blood Problems (see: Leukemia): Lack of joy. Lack of circulation of ideas. 

         -Anemic (see: a=Anemia)

         -Clotting: Closing down the flow of joy.


Boils (see: carbuncle): Anger. Boiling over. Seething.

Bones (see: skeleton): Represent the structure of the Universe. 

Bone Marrow: Represents the deepest beliefs about the self. How you support and care for yourself. 

Bone Problems:

         -Breaks/Fractures: Rebelling against authority. 

         -Deformity (see: Osteomyelitis, Osteoporosis): Mental pressures and tightness. Muscles can't stretch. Loss of mental mobility. 

Bowels: Represents the release of waste.

         -Problems: Fear of letting go of the old and no longer needed. 

Brain: Represents the computer, the switchboard. 

         -Tumor: Incorrect computerized beliefs. Stubborn. Refusing to change old patterns.

Breasts: Represents mothering, nurturing, and nourishment.

Breast problems: A refusal to nourish the self. Putting everyone else first. 

         -Cysts, lumps, soreness (mastitis): Over mothering, overprotection, overbearing attitudes.

Breath:  Represents the ability to take in life. 

         -Breathing problems (see: asphyxiating attacks, hyperventilation): Fear or refusal to take in life fully, Not feeling the right to take up space or even exist. 

         -Bright's Disease (see: Nephritis): Feeling like a kid who can't do it right and is not good enough. A failure. Loss. 

         -Bronchitis (see: Respiratory Ailments): Inflamed family environment. Arguments and yelling. Sometimes silent. 

Bruises (Ecchymoses): The little bumps in life. Self-punishment. 

Bulimia: Hopeless terror. A frantic stuffing purging of self-hatred. 

Bunions: Lack of joy in meeting the experiences of life. 

Burns:  Anger. Burning up. Incensed.

Bursitis: Repressed anger. Wanting to hit someone.

Buttocks: Represent power. Loose buttocks, loss of power.

Callouses: Hardened concepts and ideas. Fear solidified. 

Cancer: Deep hurt. Long standing resentment. Deep secret of grief eating away at the self. Carrying hatreds. "What's the use?"

Candida (Candidiasis see: thrush, yeast infections): Feeling very scattered. Lots of frustration and anger. Demanding and untrusting in relationships. Great takers. 


Car Sickness (See: motion sickness): Fear, bondage. Feeling of being trapped.

Carbuncle (see: boils): Poisonous anger about personal injustices. 

Carpal-Tunnel Syndrome (see: wrist): Anger and frustration at life's seeming injustices. 

Cataracts: Inability to see ahead with joy

Cellulite: Stored anger and self punishment

Cerebral Palsy (see: Palsy): A need to unite the family in an action of love. 

Cerebrovascular Accident (see: Stroke)

Childhood Diseases: Belief in calendars and social concepts and false laws. Childish behavior in the adults around them. 

Chills: Mental contraction, pulling away and in. Desire to retreat. "Leave me alone."

Cholesterol (Atherosclerosis): Clogging the channels of joy. Fear of accepting joy.

Chronic Diseases: A refusal to change. Fear of the future. Not feeling safe. 

Circulation: Represents the ability to feel and express emotions in positive ways. 

Cold Sores (Fever Blisters; see: herpes simplex): Festering angry words and fear of expressing them. 

Colds (upper respiratory illness): Too much going on at once. Mental confusion, disorder. Small hurts. "I get three colds every winter" type of belief. 

Colic: Mental irritation, impatience, annoyance in the surroundings. 

Colitis (see: colon, intestines, mucus colon, spastic colitis): Insecurity. Represents the ease of letting go of that which is over. 

Again, this is only a partial list. This is shared to demonstrate the powerful, and often unconscious connection between the mind, body, and emotional self.