Warts are round skin growths, often of viral origin (human papillomavirus). There are several types: common (simple), flat (juvenile), pointed (condylomas), and senile warts (keratomas).
Common warts, with a rough surface, typically appear on the back of the hands or on sweaty soles of the feet due to tight shoes (plantar warts). They develop over two years and disappear.
Flat warts with a smooth surface appear in children and young people on the back of the hands, shins, and face.
Pointed warts appear on the male and female genitals as small pink skin growths on a stalk.
Senile warts (other names: seborrheic wart, seborrheic keratosis, age-related keratoma, basal cell papilloma) occur in middle-aged and older people and are not related to the papillomavirus. They usually appear on the chest, less often on the neck, face, back of the hands, forearms, etc. Senile warts develop over decades but are not dangerous.
The primary cause of warts is the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Factors contributing to HPV infection:
- Weakened immunity,
- Close contact (including sexual) with an infected person,
- Shared household items or dishes,
- Unsterilized manicure tools,
- Cuts and wounds on the skin,
- Walking barefoot in baths, swimming pools,
- Stress-weakened body state.
Psychosomatics of Warts
The human skin performs functions of protection and contact with the external world. Therefore, the skin condition responds to how a person interacts with the world.
If the skin is the body’s shell, the characteristics of the inner content always manifest on this shell. In psychosomatic terms, negative feelings that a person feels come out on the skin as an ailment.
The skin condition speaks about how a person values themselves, what they think of themselves.
Considering that warts usually have a viral nature, it’s necessary to touch upon the psychosomatics of the virus. A virus destroys a person from within. What is the destructive force for a person’s inner world? Negative thoughts and emotions.
Thus, thought-viruses and emotion-viruses attack the stress-weakened body and start to undermine health from within. What about immunity?
If body immunity is the ability to repel and defeat bacteria and viruses, then soul immunity is the ability to fend off and conquer life’s troubles and difficulties. Why does soul immunity weaken? From the lack of the most important vitamin – Love. The absence of Love and Joy in the soul allows destructive thought-viruses to settle in. It seems that these destructive thoughts concern the most important life supports of a person: their principles, self-esteem, self-worth.
So, skin problems usually appear in people who are ashamed of themselves, cannot love themselves, do not allow themselves to be who they are. They constantly worry about what others think of them. They are easily offended by others’ remarks. Why? Because they do not love themselves. If they loved and accepted themselves as they are, nothing could hurt them.
Let’s delve deeper into the psychosomatic causes of wart development.
Psychological Causes of Warts
One of the causes of warts development identified by psychologists is a feeling of guilt associated with believing something inside oneself is terrible. It could be a character trait or a habit.
Another cause is the presence of negative qualities like disgust and aversion, aggressiveness, and hatred.
Also, a cause could be isolation from others. In this case, the wart signals that the person does not want to establish a loving contact with the outside world for some reason.
Author Louise Hay sees in viral infection the manifestation of irritation, anger, and annoyance, and in the appearance of warts as a consequence of the virus, a minor expression of hatred. She also believes that warts indicate a belief in ugliness. This can pertain not only to believing in one’s ugliness but also to the ugliness of the surrounding world and life in general.
Among the causes, Hay notes irritation caused by one’s approach to life and confusion about the future. This is particularly relevant for plantar warts, as feet allow us to move forward into the future. If a wart appears on the sole of the foot, it signals increasing disappointment in the future, according to Hay.
Hands, according to Hay, symbolize the ability to hold and control, grasp and keep, squeeze and release, caress, pinch. In psychosomatic terms, these abilities should be understood metaphorically. For example, not so much as holding an object but “holding one’s life in one’s hands,” etc.
Hands also show various ways of dealing with the past. Therefore, Hay interprets warts on the hands as having internal problems with realizing these abilities.
Regarding pointed condylomas, considering that the genitals symbolize male and female principles, problems with them, according to Hay, indicate a fear of not being up to par. Again, this should be understood as the fear of not being up to par as a woman with her inherent qualities (kind, gentle, caring, beautiful, etc.) or as a “real man” (active, decisive, strong-willed, purposeful, persistent, strong, etc.)
Psychologist Liz Burbo also writes that if warts disfigure the body, depending on where they appear (body part), they indicate in which area of life a person considers themselves ugly. It’s important to note that a person may consider themselves ugly not so much externally but internally, due to the presence of what they think are bad qualities or shortcomings. Dwelling on such thoughts leads to the appearance of an unsightly wart – as a signal that similarly “unsightly” is the way a person thinks of themselves (or others).
Paths to Healing
Medicine asserts that 100% cure of warts by conservative means is impossible.
It seems that the most crucial condition for healing warts is realizing the following thought: everyone has imperfections, but having an imperfection doesn’t mean “ugly.” Look more closely at the surrounding world: clouds in the sky are not of a perfect, regular shape, but that doesn’t mean they are not beautiful. Likewise, trees, flowers, birds, animals, people – there is no standard of perfection, as people think, in nature. In nature, everything that is alive, everything that develops – is beautiful because it’s filled with Love, Life, Joy – these are the criteria for external and internal irresistibility and beauty of a person.
A person with kind eyes and a loving heart is always more irresistible than a person with perfect looks but cold eyes and a callous heart.
Even if a person thinks about their internal imperfection, such as being upset about a negative character trait, the right approach here is also realization and acceptance, not constant self-torment.
It’s especially important to convey this thought to teenagers and young people who torment themselves with thoughts of their perceived imperfection.
The second step is acceptance: it’s necessary to give oneself and others the right to be imperfect. Yes, a person can’t become perfect in all senses at once, but that’s why we live: to develop. Every day of our lives, we grow not only physically but also intellectually, emotionally, morally, spiritually.
And only after realization and acceptance does action begin: one should try to notice the mechanism of manifestation (when, under what conditions, for what reason) of a negative character trait and, if possible, replace it with another quality. Gradually, unhurriedly, but with strict methodicalness.
Another hint: if in the heart and soul of a person reigns true and all-encompassing Love (for oneself, people, the world, life), then no ailments threaten them.
Everything is in your hands! More precisely, in your hearts!
Lada
