If only there was an easy answer to this question. Migraines certainly have a medical presentation, considering the headaches, and all of the symptoms that can come with 
migraines. However, for many sufferers, migraines may be as much a product of emotional history as of bio-chemistry.
Psycho-emotional history in migraines
I have written extensively on the role of emotional, relational , and psychological history as relevant in non-organic, chronic migraines, and how certain types (and combinations) of psychotherapy can help for people who have not seen significant results in reducing frequency or severity through various medical approaches.
I often am contacted by people who struggle with chronic migraines, acknowledging that these posts have helped them start into the process of understanding their own emotional history, and wanting to work further through life issues that could be contributing to their chronic migraine environment.
However, I’m sometimes contacted by people who are looking to discredit the emotional impact on migraines. There are people who try to suggest that my interest in the emotional/relational side of migraines must mean that I reject western medicine, or that I must base my work on archaic methods of practice, or that I think migraines are “all in your head”.
For many migraine sufferers, it can be unsettling to imagine the answer isn’t black-and-white, and that the answer may not solely lay in the medicine, even if medicine can also be very helpful and necessary as part of the healing process.
Are migraines based ONLY on emotional history?
It is possible for migraines to have emotionally-based origins, it’s also possible migraines can have medically-based origins. Often, I find that it’s generally a combination of the two. I don’t think that migraines are purely a product of emotions. Some people are fortunate enough to have very concrete and specific triggers for migraines, and when they avoid these triggers, they are otherwise fine. However, I have found that these cases seem to be the minority of the migraine population.
Migraines are an incredibly individual event. Many people have different symptoms, and different triggers. The mechanism of migraine is not one and the same across the board. What many migraine sufferers don’t always know is that triggers often work in combination, slowly setting the stage internally for an attack. Sometimes, a trigger can be presented and cause no noticeable effect; and sometimes, if the internal environment is primed (possibly from build-up of other triggers), that trigger will put someone over the threshold and trigger a migraine. This is part of what makes understanding the source of migraines so complex.
While some triggers can be concrete, migraine researchers have witnessed the impact of emotional history in the internal structure of migraines. This does not mean that migraines are “all in your head”, or that migraines are something you’re causing, and doesn’t mean to suggest that your suffering is your fault, by any means.
The Mind-Body Connection
People don’t always take the time to reflect on how emotions can impact the body. For two very quick examples: when you feel fear, your flight or flight response takes over — which includes chemical changes in your body, you may feel tension, a surge of energy, less able to relax, your stomach may churn, etc. This all comes from the emotion of fear. The body responds.
Or, if you are stressed, cortisol is released. You may end up feeling a headache, or stomach ache, back pain, tension, or other symptoms, when stressed. Traumas (whether smaller or larger traumas) all can significantly impact the body, triggering migraines and digestive issues, other forms of chronic pain, and more.
These are examples of how our bodies respond internally and chemically to emotional states. For many, it’s quite possible that childhood and adolescent life events have a hand in setting up the body’s environment for triggers that start to show up later on.
Why are non-medical professionals involved in the migraine conversation, if migraines have a medical presentation?
The source of migraines remains, even with all of the medical advances, remains somewhat of a mystery. Considering the presentation can vary so much from person to person, it’s 
nearly impossible to point to one source as to why they happen — and clearly, as described above, bio-chemistry can shift as a response to biological-psychological-emotional stimuli.
Many alternative practices have been effective for people (acupuncture, homeopathic remedies, naturopathic, yoga, etc.), in addition to western medicine, when trying to solve the migraine puzzle.
Psychotherapy
When adding psychotherapy to that list, this allows a person to examine their own mind-body connection. There is over a hundred years of literature on how stored (dissociated, repressed, suppressed) emotions can result in physiological responses and chronic pain. This isn’t a new concept. Unfortunately, viewing migraines as a black-and-white medical issue often ends up blocking off possible remedies that could help people relieve their struggle.
The advancements in understanding emotional health, as well as emotional health treatments, should be considered along side of the advancements in medicine, especially where there isn’t an explanation for body experiences that don’t have clear origin. People generally tend to have a better chance of reducing migraines when they utilize a team approach — a neurologist to oversee the medical area, and alongside of this exploring the various other options to combine with it.
It’s possible to find relief, even if you haven’t yet
Whether or not we want to face it, emotions are a trigger for many, and often times people may not be aware of how this plays out for themselves (for example, if someone functions in a high level of stress or anxiety on a daily basis, they may be so used to this that they’re not conscious of how this is impacting them).
The question isn’t whether migraines are medical or emotional — it’s the combination of sources potentially fueling your migraine environment. To learn more about the emotional side of migraines and how it may relate to your experience, contact me if you’d like to discuss.
