The Weekly Crash Cycle

Why Your Symptoms Follow a Pattern

Many women eventually seek therapy for stress-related symptoms after months or years of migraines, IBS, fatigue, or other physical issues that doctors cannot fully explain.

The problem with this cycle is that you push through the week just to get through it.

You override the fatigue. You manage the headaches. You keep functioning.

And then by the weekend your body takes over.

You’re exhausted.

Inflamed.

Shut down.

Many of the women who seek therapy with me in Columbus, Ohio describe this exact pattern.

Maybe at night you find yourself doomscrolling, taking a gummy, or having a drink, not because you lack discipline, but because you are desperate for relief. Just an hour of quiet. A small break from the tension.

When Doctors Say Everything Is Normal

The doctors have run the tests. They say there’s nothing else to do or that “there is nothing wrong with you.”

And yet you can see the pattern. The migraines always hit at a certain point in the week. The stomach flares at predictable times. The 3am wake-up comes like clockwork.

You’ve changed your diet.
Taken supplements.Adjusted your sleep.
Optimized your workouts.

What gives?

Is it burnout?IBS?
Migraines?
Autoimmune?

Your doctor says to reduce stress.

Your Oura ring tells you your resting heart rate is too high.

But how exactly are you supposed to reduce stress in a life that already feels maxed out?

If you are searching for a therapist in Columbus who takes chronic pain and stress-related illness seriously, you are in the right place.

And let me say this clearly: this is not “in your head.” You are not doing this to yourself. And for God’s sake, eating more vegetables is not the answer.

Why Stress Shows Up in the Body

Therefore, the mind and body are not separate systems. They coexist on a very deep level.

Jung wrote that the gods have become diseases. What he meant is that what we push out of awareness does not disappear. It returns in another form.

So if you were told to toughen up, calm down, stop crying, or get over it, you likely learned to live from the neck up. Thinking is safer. More predictable. Emotions and sensations feel disruptive.

But the longer we ignore or rationalize what we feel, the more it goes underground.

 And the unconscious will find a way to speak.

When the Unconscious Speaks Through Symptoms

Sometimes it speaks through:

• Chronic pain
• Back pain
• Fatigue
• Inflammation
• Skin rashes
• Allergic reactions
• Migraines
• Digestive distress
• Sleep disturbance
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Intrusive thoughts
• Overwhelm

These are often called somatic symptoms, and depth psychotherapy approaches them differently than symptom-management models.  Many women eventually seek therapy for stress-related symptoms after months or years of migraines, IBS, fatigue, or other physical issues that doctors cannot fully explain.

Who this is For

Many of the women I work with are high-functioning perfectionists. Some carry childhood trauma or complex PTSD. Others find themselves in midlife realizing that the strategies that once helped them survive are now exhausting them.

That’s why as a Jungian therapist and art therapist in Columbus, Ohio, I work primarily with women who are ready to move beyond coping and into realignment.  Therapy for stress-related symptoms is not quick-fix work. It requires commitment and a genuine desire to change, not simply to feel temporarily better.

Furthermore, the medical system treats the physical layer. CBT helps manage intensity. EMDR can desensitize trauma responses. Parts work can help you understand yourself.  This approach works alongside appropriate medical care. If you are avoiding medical evaluation, that is something we would address directly.

But you may already understand.

Likewise, you may be able to explain your childhood perfectly well, intellectually.

And still. . . the symptoms remain.

A Jungian Perspective on Somatic and Stress-Related Symptoms

Coping is not the same as transformation.

If you are here, you likely looking for a deeper level of healing.

This is where Jungian analysis, a form of depth psychotherapy, becomes different from traditional psychotherapy. You can read more about how I work here.  Jungian analysis listens to the specificity of your symptoms and life patterns. There is no generalized, manualized approach. We pay attention to timing, patterns, emotions, imagery, and dreams. We look at what the psyche may be trying to rebalance.

Over time, I help you learn to understand the language of your body’s emotions and sensations.  We look at the archetypal pattern, what the underlying unconscious is trying to get you to consider through the symptoms.  This is real shadow work, the way Carl Jung originally conceptualized it.  If you’re curious what shadow work actually involves, you can learn more here: Shadow Work in Jungian Analysis.

In other words, this is not about blaming you for your illness.

Instead, it is about listening differently.

Recently I attended a session on the topic Active Imagination presented by Maggi.  She provided background on the topic, examples, and live Active Imagination experience for our group.  Much preparation had obviously gone into her work.  I felt I had a broader understanding of the topic after the session.  Maggi has a professional but relaxed way of presenting and engaging.  I am still working with the image that I produced that day!  Thank you Maggi!

Maggi’s dream group offered me profound insights into my struggles and psyche. Maggi was shining lights on seemingly confusing symbols and situations in my dreams. I have discovered many things about myself. I also learned so much more about symbolism and archetypes. Each class was like an adventure to our subconscious. We also did tons of Art in these classes and it was really therapeutic to me, I never thought I can draw!!

 

If you have intense dreams with lots of visuals and emotions, or simply want to learn to depict your own dreams, I would highly recommend Maggi’s dream groups.

Maggi loves what they do – and it shows.  Their appreciation for the creative process encourages me to move beyond self-judgment.  I have learned a lot from their guidance.

As a colleague of Maggi’s, I have been consistently impressed with their skills as a therapist. Maggi is compassionate, knowledgeable, and knows how to guide others inward through creative self-expression in order to achieve deep healing. I highly recommend Maggi to anyone who desires to heal their relationship with themselves by deepening their self-understanding and self-trust!