The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.
- Carl Jung
Lost Soul Syndrome
Everybody experiences a loss of functionality at some point in their lives. This can occur as events such as feeling 'spaced out', disorientated or weak. As a collective, we make efforts to minimise these episodes and reduce them in a light-hearted nature, using phrases such as being "lost in thought" or "away with the fairies". Generally, this state is seen as a personal weakness, whereby the person is deemed incapable of dealing with life. Attributing this as a character flaw can lower the person's self-esteem, obscure the fact that there is an issue occurring and exacerbate the state of the person to that of being chronically depressed or withdrawn.
While modern western medicine is yet to conceptualise a diagnosis for moments where we lose a sense of who we are - we can all relate to 'armchair syndrome'; i.e. those times where getting out of the armchair feels more trouble than it's worth, or when the effort is made we feel weakened and need a moment to regain control and self-awareness. We can all relate to states of feeling lightheaded, losing vision, forgetting their intentions or having low energy. In an exacerbated state, some may completely lose all sense of grounding and consciousness, having episodes of fainting or blackouts.
Modern Diagnosis
Orthostatic hypotension (also known as postural hypotension) is a medical condition which focuses on the main symptom of Lost Soul Syndrome. There is widespread misunderstanding of the condition due to the way that modern medicine focuses on the acute symptoms, rather than investigating the underlying cause/s.
Modern diagnosis involves assessing a person's blood pressure, first from a sitting position, then again after standing, and calculating the difference between the two readings. A person whose blood pressure does not sufficiently increase upon standing is diagnosed with orthostatic hypotension.
A person experiencing orthostatic hypotension will feel an overwhelming weakness, that they do not have sufficient resources (energy, motivation, vitality etc.) to physically exert themselves and that there is an invisible ceiling preventing them from going about their day.
When the symptom of orthostatic hypotension repeatedly occurs, this may then be described as a condition of the autonomic nervous system (a long-term state) called sympathetic deficiency.
The person becomes chronically 'deficient' and consequently, this vulnerable state can allow other chronic illness to occur, causing a mixture of symptoms/conditions.
Sympathetic deficiency is rarely diagnosed because of the complex and individualised way that it presents, despite the fact that most people will have experiences, to some extent, with the condition at some point in their lives.
The Mysterious Condition Which Affects Us All
The central mechanism involved in the condition is deficiency of the sympathetic nervous system, the circuitry which activates when we decide that we want to take action. When we attempt to take action in a situation against our wishes, we find it difficult to fully rise to the challenge and this is felt in a holistic way involving the mind, body and spirit, as Lost Soul Syndrome/Sympathetic Deficiency/Orthostatic Hypotension.
There is widespread misunderstanding of the nature of the condition, due to the fact that people perceive the world differently, experience different issues in life and feel fulfilled by different things. More developed understanding and resolution of the condition requires investigation of the underlying cause, for the individual involved.
The only way to uncover the underlying cause/s of the condition is to look at the whole person and the illness, noticing unique patterns in a holistic way. This involves looking at the context, fluctuations, exacerbations and the nature of symptoms which present as they occur, when compared to the individual's natural, healthy state.
Breaking Free From Lost Soul Syndrome
In many non-western cultures all over the world, or traditional medicine texts, the condition is much more broadly understood and acknowledged. Read more here.
A holistically-minded perspective is essential to resolution of the condition, in order to see multiple factors and complexities in human life.
By raising individual and collective awareness of Lost Soul Syndrome and navigating our own lives in a way that feels empowering to us personally, we can observe and adapt when symptoms present and live the free and vibrant lives we are truly meant to live.
Listening To Your Body
An indicator for change, Lost Soul Syndrome most frequently occurs during transitional phases in a person's life.
Overcome Lost Soul Syndrome/Sympathetic Deficiency/Orthostatic Hypotension, through guidance sessions, provided by Holistic Insight.
Visit the resources area for more information about the condition and complete a self-assessment form/get in touch for an appointment.
