“Shock And Awe “, The Sudden Loss Of Soul
There are some people who suddenly and without knowing why or how, have the feeling of losing their soul. This feeling usually comes from a “shock and awe” of varying origin which generates an unpleasant sensation which oscillates between fear and surprise. Something suddenly discouraging and making the person experiencing it feel like their heart is turning.
We have all had this feeling when concrete circumstances make us realize that we can be in danger or threatened. This perception is generally real; however, at other times it may be determined by suggestion. In reality, life is not a danger.
However, there are people who, in response to certain situations, feel that after the “shock and dread” their soul is leaving their body. Indeed, this one generates a great misfortune and causes a diverse symptomatology which we will analyze below.
The definition of “shock and awe” of diagnostic systems
DSM-5 defines shock as a cultural explanation for the unease and unhappiness prevalent among some Latinos in the United States and among people in Mexico, Central and South America. However, it is not recognized as a disease among Latinos in the Caribbean. Fear is an evil attributed to an event which frightens and causes the soul to come out of the body. As a result, it leads to a certain hopelessness as well as difficulties in playing key social roles.
Therefore, although there are no specific symptoms defining ‘shock and awe’, the symptomatology usually consists of:
- Changes in appetite
- Insufficient or excessive sleep, disturbed
- Feelings of sadness
- Low self-esteem
- Interpersonal sensitivity
- Lack of motivation to do anything self
- Symptoms that accompany fear may include uncomfortableness and muscle pain, in addition to feeling cold, pallor, headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
The origin and the typology of “shock and awe”
The origin or its equivalent, the events which precipitate this condition, are diverse. Indeed, generally, they include, among others, natural phenomena, animals, interpersonal situations and supernatural entities.
In addition, DSM-5 identified three types of “shock and dread” syndromes (called cibih in the local Zapotec language). He associates each of them with different psychiatric diagnoses.
- Interpersonal fear appears to be closely related to major depressive disorder. It is recognized by feelings of loss, abandonment and family disaffection. These are accompanied by symptoms of sadness, poor self-image, and suicidal thoughts that appear to be closely related to major depressive disorder.
- When the shock is the result of a traumatic event that played a fundamental role in the formation of symptoms, the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder seems more appropriate. What’s more. the same goes for the emotional processing of the experience.
- Shock is characterized by several recurrent somatic symptoms. This is considered to be similar to a somatic symptom disorder. Often, the person has sought treatment from several doctors to alleviate these symptoms.
This condition involves really intense suffering for those affected. The various cultures that have documented it attribute magical components to its appearance. It is therefore curious to see that tzotzil makes three differences before an event of this type (Castaldo, 2004):
- Xi-el: the soul is not lost
- Komel: it’s scary for a fall; the soul is lost and the earth is captured
- Chélalal: the soul is lost and we do not know where it is; can be in heaven, somewhere in the world, in another city or sold
This phenomenon is not homogeneous and of course requires more research and consideration on the part of the scientific community. In addition, we must of course study the “shock and awe” according to its context. Indeed, we cannot forget the strong cultural component that defines it.
Our thoughts If we ask someone what fear is, they will probably tell us that it is an uneasy reaction to the unexpected.
