Psychosomatics in Isolation: the Body as an Archive of Trauma and a Social Indicator

Abstract

The article explores the relationship between the psyche and the body in today's digital reality, where the growing gap between the physical and the mental leads to new forms of psychosomatic disorders. The relevance of the topic is determined by the transformation of lifestyles: the COVID-19 pandemic and general digitalisation reinforce an imbalance in which the body is neglected online and becomes a key instrument of identity offline. The research methodology combines a qualitative analysis of literary and media texts to identify psychosomatic patterns, a theoretical synthesis of psychoanalysis, sociology, and neurophysiology, and a philosophical reflection on the body and identity. Through the analysis of media texts, such as film, literature, and video games, three key aspects of psychosomatics are examined: the impact of isolation on everyday practices; the bodily manifestations of emotions and inner conflicts; and the body as an “archive” of trauma and its decoding. Literary examples (R. Bradbury, J. Verne) and contemporary media texts (“Disco Elysium”, “Fight Club”) illustrate how isolation transforms everyday practices, turning the body into a "battleground" for social and existential conflicts. The neurophysiological model explains how chronic stress disrupts autonomic functions, with the body becoming an “archive” preserving traces of trauma. This is supported by analysis of the game character Harry Du Bois (“Disco Elysium”), whose physical symptoms reflect repressed memories, and the case of Tsukiko Sagi, whose migraines serve as metaphors for unexpressed emotions. The study demonstrates how mass culture represents these processes, offering audiences ways to comprehend psychosomatics in the contemporary world.