Where Does Guilt Manifest In The Body? - BetterHelp

Ask a therapist > Diseases & Personality Disorders > Where does guilt manifest in the body? Where does guilt manifest in the body? Show more Asked by Anonymous Diseases & Personality Disorders Answered 05/03/2021

Guilt can be very difficult to define precisely as it can look different for everyone. Guilt can be a self-conscious emotion that is not seen as a one size fits all solution. However, it is usually something that we all may experience at some point in our lives. It comes as no shock that we can experience guilt, and it can be very uncomfortable as it can start to easily affect our everyday lives and decisions due to the feelings that guilt can cause.  The symptoms and or feelings of persistent guilt can ultimately manifest anywhere in the body due to the mental and emotional distress caused when an individual feels guilty about something that has happened.

When individuals are dealing with guilt, they can experience several symptoms and or physical issues within the body. Individuals must be aware of how guilt can affect an individual’s mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, and/or lack of spiritual well-being. Guilt can manifest itself in areas inside the body that are known to be hidden or unseen. For example, if a person is thinking about their guilt, their thoughts and feelings cannot be seen with the naked eye; however, their thoughts and feelings can be observed and or assessed by an individual’s behavior. Usually, if we think about something such as guilt, it can affect the way we or we feel about things, and then guilt can, in turn, affect how someone chooses to behave.

One of the most know organs internally affected by guilt can be the brain. The brain is known as the powerhouse of processing our thoughts, feelings, and or emotions. Therefore, excessive and or automatic thoughts that manifest into guild can be very exhausting mentally, which can cause the brain to work harder to process our thoughts, feelings, and or emotions in regards to how we will responsibly be able to process the effects that guilt can cause us over a period of time. When individuals feel emotional and or mentally guilty, the ultimate effects of guilt can cause an individual’s everyday habits, relationships, work duties, and or responsibilities to be greatly affected.

Natural guilt, like other negative emotions, will often process and fade over a period of time—especially after we’ve expressed remorse. However, in cases of excessive guilt, or maladaptive guilt, it can impact the sympathetic nervous system and lead to ongoing symptoms like muscle tension, irritability, heart palpitations, and shallow breathing. Often maladaptive guilt arises from childhood trauma or certain mental health conditions like obsessive compulsive disorder. When you feel guilt around situations that don’t involve you at all, or if you feel excessive guilt over situations that don’t require it, it can be helpful to explore these feelings with a mental health professional. 

LaToya Kinnard LPC

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