Why Somatoform Disorders Arise: The Method’s View Through Homeostasis and Stimuli

To understand why somatoform disorders arise, Dr. Saulitis suggests starting not with the symptom but with a foundational principle — homeostasis. This is the anchor point from which the method’s whole logic unfolds: when the balance of the body’s systems is disrupted and not restored, disorders appear — including what we call psychosomatics.

Homeostasis — the balance everything returns to

The principle of homeostasis is simple: all systems in nature strive to return to equilibrium. Blood sugar may swing one way or the other, but it returns; blood values, the surrounding environment — everything keeps levelling out. As long as this balance holds, the system lives and keeps existing.

«It’s when all systems — literally all systems in nature — return to equilibrium.»

When balance drifts away and is not restored, the system breaks down, and the outcome follows.

Four levels where balance can break

For the human being, the method distinguishes several levels of homeostasis:

• The cell — not just a “little circle,” but a whole living biofactory; its failure leads to problems at the deepest level.
• The tissue — cuts and injuries; tissue also restores itself, and life continues.
• The organ — heart, liver, lungs, brain.
• The whole person — when values are not restored, disorders develop.

The doctor also mentions a broader view: society, environment, the entire ecosystem can be seen as a living system held in balance.

The stimulus — what knocks balance off

What disrupts homeostasis? A stimulus — any physical, chemical, any force acting on the levels of the cell, tissue, organ, person. Stimuli are the “culprits” that knock the system out of balance and prevent its return.

«A stimulus is any physical, chemical, any force that acts on the different levels: cell, tissue, organ, person.»

The method groups the sources of stimuli into: biological (internal processes, genetically determined, toxic), environmental (pollution, toxins, work) and psychological (stress factors, depression, lack of sleep).

Biology, environment and psyche — three views of one elephant

The method does not pit these factors against one another. The debate “what comes first — biology, environment or psyche” the doctor compares to the eternal “chicken or egg”: it leads nowhere. The truth is always somewhere in between — the factors interact. In each individual case and each period of life, one of them takes the upper hand, and then the symptom, the diagnosis, the prognosis and the treatment change.

«You can look at an elephant from the leg or from the head — but in essence they are all interconnected.»

How a stimulus turns into a bodily symptom

Here lies the answer to “why.” Stimuli make the body react through the neuroendocrine system: hormones and substances prepare the body for different reactions. How these reactions unfold determines what comes next. Psychosomatics is precisely the point where neurophysiology and endocrinology link a psychological stimulus to a bodily response.

Why the method first asks “what’s going on with the person”

Before assigning a diagnosis, the doctor asks a “simple question”: what are we actually treating? First you have to understand what is going on with the person, and only then the diagnosis and the rest. In the VitaModo method, the first consultation is run by a team of specialists who together understand what is happening and build the therapy: lifestyle, nutrition, medication, support.

Practice

A self-observation checklist in the logic of the method (not diagnosis, but a way to notice your own stimuli):

1. Describe the bodily symptom without judgement — where, when and in what circumstances it appears.
2. Ask yourself “what disrupts my balance?” — go through the three groups of stimuli: biological, environmental, psychological.
3. Note what is currently taking the upper hand — which factor most strongly knocks you off balance in this period of life.
4. Observe the body’s reaction — how the body responds to stress, lack of sleep, strain.
5. Articulate “what’s going on with me,” not “what’s my diagnosis” — and discuss it with a specialist.