Here are some highlights of a paper I wrote entitled, “Physical Changes Following Psychotherapeutic Intervention with High Blood Pressure Patients”:

“‘Hypertension’ (is) consistently elevated diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) of unknown cause. The term ‘psychotherapy’ refers primarily to four psychoanalytically or psychodynamically oriented methods dealing with unconscious feelings and conflicts in the patient in such a way as to help the patient become conscious of them and thereby is able to resolve them. ‘Blood pressure improvement’ means sustained lowering of diastolic blood pressure by eight to twelve mm. of mercury when comparing the average diastolic over the year prior to therapeutic intervention with the year following the psychotherapy.”

“Hypertension means that for patients under the age of 50: b.p. exceeds 140/90 on 3 separate occasions after 20 mins rest in familiar, quiet surroundings …. Current insurance data have shown that even slightly elevated b.p., beyond normal good control, decrease survival.”

“Blood Pressure drugs can have distressing side effects such as exhaustion, depression, sexual impotence and dizziness. When one realizes the patient usually must be on these drugs for life, one can appreciate the significance of a person effecting through psychotherapy a reduction in both blood pressure, and drug dosage.”

“The psychotherapeutic working-through process is amazing in its effectiveness in lowering b.p. I have observed that it requires a therapist who is both active and incisive, yet gentle in his or her style of working. As Dr. Morton Reiser, psychoanalyst, pointed out, the key in reducing blood pressure has to do with transforming anger, whether acted out and/or unconscious.”